Abstract
Reconstruction of bone tissue defects is a problematic area of the modern world. Temporary “platforms” of various materials for improving cell adhesion and proliferation have been extensively researched in recent decades. β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) is a suitable biocompatible, biodegradable material used for bone regeneration. The creation of scaffolds with specifically designed surface structures will enable bone engineering applications that require navigated cell proliferation on a substrate with pre-set geometric limits. In this study, an innovative laser-based technique for surface modification was applied to improve the morphological properties of the surface of β-TCP pellets for proper cell surface environment creation. The obtained topographies with diverse processing parameters were compared. Homogenous microgroove structures, less than 100 µm, without the onset of melting and crack formation, were produced. The contribution from the accumulation effect of a diverse number of laser pulses (N = 1–100) on the final structure dimensions was examined. The microstructured scaffolds were investigated by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses. We studied the effect of the patterned surface of the material on the mouse calvaria osteoblast (MC3T3) cells’ viability and cytotoxicity from 1 to 7 days. The results indicated that cell behavior was affected by microscale dimensions of the surface.
Highlights
The Earth’s population is growing older with each passing year
Bone tissue engineering relies on temporal scaffolds, which mimic the extracellular matrix (ECM) and provide a stable structure for “bone” cells’ natural growing process [2,4,5]
The laser-induced morphologies on the surface of the pellets were investigated by confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) analysis
Summary
The Earth’s population is growing older with each passing year. According to data from World Population Prospects: the 2019 Revision, by 2050, 16% of the people in the world will be over age 65 [1]. Bone tissue engineering relies on temporal scaffolds, which mimic the extracellular matrix (ECM) and provide a stable structure for “bone” cells’ (osteoblasts) natural growing process [2,4,5]. In this way, the organism could regenerate itself naturally as such platforms can significantly influence the cell behavior and, as a result, the whole osseointegration of the implants in the organism [2]. In order to provide these effective qualities, the temporary 3D multicomponent scaffolds should mimic the interconnected porous native environment of the cells, covering their needs of nutrients, migration, adhesion, and growth. Ultra-fast laser modification allows the production of highly interconnected porous 3D platforms of one or more components, without adding any toxic components and changing biochemical properties of the matrix, while optimizing its surface topography [7,8,9]
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