Abstract
Bone tissue engineering may provide an alternative to autograft, however scaffold optimisation is required to maximize bone ingrowth. In designing scaffolds, pore architecture is important and there is evidence that cells prefer a degree of non-uniformity. The aim of this study was to compare scaffolds derived from a natural porous marine sponge (Spongia agaricina) with unique architecture to those derived from a synthetic polyurethane foam. Hydroxyapatite scaffolds of 1 cm3 were prepared via ceramic infiltration of a marine sponge and a polyurethane (PU) foam. Human foetal osteoblasts (hFOB) were seeded at 1 × 105 cells/scaffold for up to 14 days. Cytotoxicity, cell number, morphology and differentiation were investigated. PU-derived scaffolds had 84–91 % porosity and 99.99 % pore interconnectivity. In comparison marine sponge-derived scaffolds had 56–61 % porosity and 99.9 % pore interconnectivity. hFOB studies showed that a greater number of cells were found on marine sponge-derived scaffolds at than on the PU scaffold but there was no significant difference in cell differentiation. X-ray diffraction and inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry showed that Si ions were released from the marine-derived scaffold. In summary, three dimensional porous constructs have been manufactured that support cell attachment, proliferation and differentiation but significantly more cells were seen on marine-derived scaffolds. This could be due both to the chemistry and pore architecture of the scaffolds with an additional biological stimulus from presence of Si ions. Further in vivo tests in orthotopic models are required but this marine-derived scaffold shows promise for applications in bone tissue engineering.
Highlights
Current clinical strategies for bone repair have accepted limitations, such as adequate donor site morbidity, adequate supply and concerns about disease transmission [1,2,3]
Decades after Hulbert and Klawitter suggested the use of porous structures to improve bone integration into synthetic materials [5, 6], there remains little consensus on the optimum pore size, either for resorption or bone ingrowth [7], with suggestions ranging from mean pore sizes of 100 lm to as large as 500 lm diameter [8]
Two cell types were used for this study, human foetal osteoblast cell line and primary guinea pig bone marrow stromal cells. gpBMSCs were isolated from whole bone marrow following sacrifice
Summary
Current clinical strategies for bone repair have accepted limitations, such as adequate donor site morbidity, adequate supply and concerns about disease transmission [1,2,3]. Synthetic bone graft materials are commercially available but often their use in the clinic is limited as surgeons are concerned by poor or variable clinical outcomes. Current opinion would suggest that the material should be non-inflammatory, osteoconductive, bioactive, bioresorbable, porous and have a degree of mechanical strength [4]. Decades after Hulbert and Klawitter suggested the use of porous structures to improve bone integration into synthetic materials [5, 6], there remains little consensus on the optimum pore size, either for resorption or bone ingrowth [7], with suggestions ranging from mean pore sizes of 100 lm to as large as 500 lm diameter [8]. The addition of microporosity (\10 lm) has been shown to enhance bone repair [9, 10] perhaps by improving fluid flow and promoting neovascularization [11]
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