Preparation and properties of calcium phosphate cement/small intestinal submucosa composite scaffold mimicking bone components and Haversian microstructure

Abstract

Calcium phosphate cement (CPC)/small intestinal submucosa (SIS) composite scaffold was prepared in this work by subtly stacking bio-inspired Haversian motifs (lamellar cylindrical motifs), which can form a structure similar to the Haversian microstructure in natural bones. SIS is rich in collagen and CPC can be easily transformed to hydroxyapatite into body fluids, making the components of the scaffold similar to natural bones. Porosity and specific surface area of the scaffold were 32 ± 0.58%, and 26.749 ± 2.691 m2/m3 respectively. Pore size mainly ranges from 100 μm to 400 μm. The large specific surface area and the pore size are not only beneficial to cells attachment, growth, migration and revascularization, but also to the scaffold mineralization. After soaking for 6 h at 10× simulated body fluids, the compressive strength of the scaffold was about 27 MPa, 3 times more than that of the original scaffold. Thanks to the increasing compressive strength with holding the soaking time, the scaffold should be suitable for in vivo implanting and bone remodeling.