Facile method to prepare PLGA/hydroxyapatite composite scaffold for bone tissue engineering

Abstract

Poly(l-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) scaffold with hydroxyapatite (HA) nanoparticles on the pore wall was prepared by porogen leaching method using HA coated gelatine particles as porogens. For comparison, PLGA scaffold was prepared by the same method using gelatine particles as porogens. All the scaffolds had the same pore size (280–450 μm) and similar porosity (92–94%). Although only 3·6 wt-%HA particles was loaded, more apatite deposited on the PLGA/HA scaffold after incubation in simulated body fluid for 14 days, without compromising the pore interconnectivity. In vitro culture of rabbit bone marrow stem cells revealed that the cell morphology and viability were similar on all the scaffolds. However, the alkaline phosphatase activity was significantly improved for the cells cultured on the PLGA/HA composite scaffolds. Therefore, the method for fabricating scaffolds with HA nanoparticles provides a new way to obtain the bioactive scaffolds for bone tissue engineering.