Abstract
AbstractOver the last years, three-dimensional (3D) printing has been successfully applied to produce suitable substitutes for treating bone defects. In this work, 3D printed composite scaffolds of polycaprolactone (PCL) and strontium (Sr)- and cobalt (Co)-doped multi-component melt-derived bioactive glasses (BGs) were prepared for bone tissue engineering strategies. For this purpose, 30% of as-prepared BG particles (size <38 μm) were incorporated into PCL, and then the obtained composite mix was introduced into a 3D printing machine to fabricate layer-by-layer porous structures with the size of 12 × 12 × 2 mm3.The scaffolds were fully characterized through a series of physico-chemical and biological assays. Adding the BGs to PCL led to an improvement in the compressive strength of the fabricated scaffolds and increased their hydrophilicity. Furthermore, the PCL/BG scaffolds showed apatite-forming ability (i.e., bioactivity behavior) after being immersed in simulated body fluid (SBF). The in vitro cellular examinations revealed the cytocompatibility of the scaffolds and confirmed them as suitable substrates for the adhesion and proliferation of MG-63 osteosarcoma cells. In conclusion, 3D printed composite scaffolds made of PCL and Sr- and Co-doped BGs might be potentially-beneficial bone replacements, and the achieved results motivate further research on these materials.
Highlights
Treating and managing bone lesions are still among the most challenging issues in medicine [1]
Hydrophobic surfaces are mentioned as more suitable substrates for adsorbing greater amounts of proteins than neutrally charged hydrophilic surfaces, accelerated osteogenesis and increased bone-to-implant contact could be achieved by applying hydrophilic surfaces [5, 6]
The incorporation of bioactive glasses (BGs) into PCL has been suggested as a wise approach to improve surface hydrophilicity
Summary
Treating and managing bone lesions (e.g., fractures and tumors) are still among the most challenging issues in medicine [1]. In order to further improve the biological activity of BGs and their composites, innovative glass formulations are currently developed by incorporating metallic dopants with specific therapeutic properties [12]. In this regard, strontium- and cobalt-doped BGs were reported suitable materials in BTE application due to their ability to simultaneously accelerate osteogenesis and angiogenesis [13,14,15]. Since the bone tissue is a composite, the successful use of 3D printed polymer/glass composites was previously reported for BTE applications [18,19,20,21]. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the use of complex multi-component glass compositions (with 6 to 8 oxides) is reported here for the first time, along with the application of the FDM to process such materials
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