Exploring the interconnectivity of biomimetic hierarchical porous Mg scaffolds for bone tissue engineering: Effects of pore size distribution on mechanical properties, degradation behavior and cell migration ability

Abstract

Interconnectivity is the key characteristic of bone tissue engineering scaffold modulating cell migration, blood vessels invasion and transport of nutrient and waste. However, efforts and understanding of the interconnectivity of porous Mg is limited due to the diverse architectures of pore struts and pore size distribution of Mg scaffold systems. In this work, biomimetic hierarchical porous Mg scaffolds with tailored interconnectivity as well as pore size distribution were prepared by template replication of infiltration casting. Mg scaffold with better interconnectivity showed lower mechanical strength. Enlarging interconnected pores would enhance the interconnectivity of the whole scaffold and reduce the change of ion concentration, pH value and osmolality of the degradation microenvironment due to the lower specific surface area. Nevertheless, the degradation rates of five tested Mg scaffolds were no different because of the same geometry of strut unit. Direct cell culture and evaluation of cell density at both sides of four typical Mg scaffolds indicated that cell migration through hierarchical porous Mg scaffolds could be enhanced by not only bigger interconnected pore size but also larger main pore size. In summary, design of interconnectivity in terms of pore size distribution could regulate mechanical strength, microenvironment in cell culture condition and cell migration potential, and beyond that it shows great potential for personalized therapy which could facilitate the regeneration process.