Effects of 3D Printing Poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid)-Hydroxyapatite Scaffolds on Femoral Defect Restoration and Serum Factors

Abstract

Many researches aim at materials promoting osteogenesis, but few of these articles focus on serum. Here, we made Poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid)-Hydroxyapatite (PLGA/HA) scaffolds using 3D printing technology, and evaluated the effect of scaffolds promoting osteogenesis by serum detection and other tests. Sixty Sprague Dawley (SD) rats were selected to grind out a 4 mm long fullthickness bone defect of the bilateral femurs and were randomly divided into a PLGA/HA group which implanted with PLGA/HA scaffolds and a control group with no scaffolds implanted. Bone specimens and serum were collected on the 3rd day and 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th week after operation and then detected respectively. Three-point bending test indicated that the bone strength of the control group was significantly lower than the PLGA/HA group in the later stage of the experiment. In terms of serum indexes, the calcium (Ca) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) expressions were much higher in the PLGA/HA group, while the tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) level in the PLGA/HA group was lower in the early stage of the experiment. The level of bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP2) in the PLGA/HA group was significantly higher than that of the control group on the 1st, 2nd, and 4th weeks. These results revealed that 3D printing PLGA/HA scaffolds can effectively promote bone tissue formation and inhibit bone absorption. The scaffold has a good potential application prospect at clinic as a kind of bone tissue engineering material.