Femtosecond laser ablation of 3D-printed PCL Scaffolds as a strategy to enhance bone tissue regeneration efficacy

Abstract

New photonic techniques need to be developed to improve personalised medicine methods in tissue engineering. In the case of severe bone injuries, difficulties arise when creating platforms where cells required to be efficiently adhered. Femtosecond laser ablation appears as a versatile technique for modifying the surface of materials with high precision and neat outcomes. Thus, a strategy combining 3D printing of biopolymeric scaffolds and femtosecond laser ablation is proposed to design a device with enhanced material properties in terms of cell growth for bone tissue regeneration. Three different patterns were proposed, and it was proven that cell adhesion improvements rely on the pattern profile, assessing that grooved scaffold successfully increased cell adhesion and proliferation in comparison with micropitted samples.