Performance of 3D printed PCL/PLGA/HA biological bone tissue engineering scaffold

Abstract

AbstractIn the repair of bone defects, bone tissue engineering scaffolds made of degradable polymers are considered as potential bone defect graft substitutes. Among them, polycaprolactone (PCL) and polylactic acid coglycolic acid (PLGA) are widely used in tissue engineering. PCL has good processability. However, the poor hydrophilicity of PCL leads to a lower cell adhesion rate of pure PCL scaffolds. PLGA has good biological properties. However, the production of acidic substances during the rapid degradation of PLGA will result in low‐local pH, and PLGA has poor toughness. In this study, PCL and PLGA were mixed in different proportions and 20 wt% hydroxyapatite (HA) was added. A PCL/PLGA/HA scaffold with good pore structure was prepared by 3D printing method. The regular grid structure makes the transportation of nutrients more convenient. The PCL component in the scaffold improves the toughness of the scaffold. Due to the mixing of PLGA, the hydrophilicity of the composite scaffold is improved, making the scaffold more conducive to cell adhesion. At the same time, the HA component contained in the composite scaffold provides Ca2+ and PO43− for the scaffold, which promotes the osteogenic differentiation of cells on the composite scaffold. Since the PCL/PLGA/HA composite scaffold prepared by 3D printing has shown good performance in mechanical and cell tests, we believe that the composite scaffold has potential applications in the field of bone tissue engineering.