Enhanced chondrocytes growth in 3-D alginate scaffolds with improved porosity and permeability induced by low intensity pulse ultrasound

Abstract

Recent development in applications of new biomaterials and biomedical engineering enable the tissue engineering to become a promising cartilage repair technique. Here, a 3-D alginate scaffold was fabricated by a cross-linked method. Experiments were performed to investigate how the porosity and permeability of the 3-D scaffold, as well as the proliferation rate of seeded cells, were affected by the ultrasound exposure parameters. The scanning electron microscopy and fluorescence imaging were used to examine the micro-structure, porosity, and permeability of the scaffolds, and biochemical analyses were applied to assess the cell growth in the scaffold. The optimum low intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPU) driving parameters that benefit the enhancement of scaffold porosity and cell proliferation were also explored. The results suggest that, for the scaffold exposed to LIPU, its porosity and permeability could be significantly enhanced by the increasing LIPU amplitude, which might be induced by the microstream...