Abstract
This work aims to synthesize biocompatible composite materials loaded with recycled porcine bone powder (BP) to fabricate scaffolds for in-situ reconstruction of bone structures. Polylactic acid (PLA) and poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) were tested as matrices in percentages from 40 wt% to 80 wt%. Chitosan (CS) was selected for its antibacterial properties, in the amount from 5 wt% to 15 wt%, and BP from 20 wt% to 50 wt% as active filler to promote osseointegration. In this preliminary investigation, samples have been produced by solvent casting to introduce the highest possible percentage of fillers. PCL has been chosen as a matrix due to its greater ability to incorporate fillers, ensuring their adequate dispersion and lower working temperatures compared to PLA. Tensile tests demonstrated strength properties (6–10 MPa) suitable for hard tissue engineering applications. Based on the different findings (integration of PLA in the composite system, improvements in CS adhesion and mechanical properties), the authors supposed an optimization of the synthesis process, focused on the possible implementation of the electrospinning technique to develop PCL-BP composites reinforced with PLA-CS microfibers. Finally, biological tests were conducted to evaluate the antibacterial activity of CS, demonstrating the applicability of the materials for the biomedical field.
Highlights
Zhou et al [26] highlighted that one of the main concerns in the use of solvent casting techniques to integrate HA fillers in the Polylactic acid (PLA) matrix concerns the low affinity between the two components: During the solvent evaporation, the particles can precipitate from the polymer solution, resulting in a non-uniform dispersion or weak incorporation
This research work presented a preliminary investigation on the synthesis of thermoplastic composites loaded with waste bone powder (BP) and CS filler, to obtain bioactive materials for bone tissue engineering (BTE) applications
PCL-BP and PLA-BP composites were processed in the form of solvent-casted films to evaluate the ability of thermoplastic matrices to incorporate the inorganic fillers and obtain homogeneous and workable composites
Summary
Continuous advances in medical science and surgical techniques have allowed transplantation, whether of tissues or whole organs, to become one of the potential options for restoring the native functions of many damaged parts of the human body. Transplantation techniques encountered several limitations, such as the growing demand that far exceeds the actual availability by donors of usable tissues and the possible contamination of the donor tissue [1]. Tissue engineering (TE) is an interdisciplinary approach which utilizes cells, bioactive factors, and biomaterials to restore required functions of tissues. TE is based on the principles of medicine, biology, material science, and engineering by integrating them into the design of biological components to repair, maintain, and improve tissue functions [2,3]
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