Porous Ti6Al4V Scaffolds Research Articles

Electroactive barium titanate coated titanium scaffold improves osteogenesis and osseointegration with low-intensity pulsed ultrasound for large segmental bone defects

For large segmental bone defects, porous titanium scaffolds have some advantages, however, they lack electrical activity which hinders their further use. In this study, a barium titanate (BaTiO3) piezoelectric ceramic was used to modify the surface of a porous Ti6Al4V scaffold (pTi), which was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and roughness and water contact angle analyses. Low intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) was applied in vitro and in vivo study. The activity of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells, including adhesion, proliferation, and gene expression, was significantly superior in the BaTiO3/pTi, pTi + LIPUS, and BaTiO3/pTi + LIPUS groups than in the pTi group. The activity was also higher in the BaTiO3/pTi + LIPUS group than in the BaTiO3/pTi and pTi + LIPUS groups. Additionally, micro-computed tomography, the mineral apposition rate, histomorphology, and the peak pull-out load showed that these scaffold conditions significantly enhanced osteogenesis and osseointegration 6 and 12 weeks after implantation in large segmental bone defects in the radius of rabbits compared with those resulting from the pTi condition. Consequently, the improved osteogenesis and osseointegration make the BaTiO3/pTi + LIPUS a promising method to promote bone regeneration in large segmental bone defects for clinical application.

Fabrication of piezoelectric porous BaTiO3 scaffold to repair large segmental bone defect in sheep.

Porous titanium scaffolds can provide sufficient mechanical support and bone growth space for large segmental bone defect repair. However, they fail to restore the physiological environment of bone tissue. Barium titanate (BaTiO3) is considered a smart material that can produce an electric field in response to dynamic force. Low-intensity pulsed ultrasound stimulation (LIPUS), as a kind of micromechanical wave, can not only promote bone repair but also induce BaTiO3 to generate an electric field. In our studies, BaTiO3 was coated on porous Ti6Al4V and LIPUS was externally applied to observe the influence of the piezoelectric effect on the repair of large bone defects in vitro and in vivo. The results show that the piezoelectric effect can effectively promote the osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) in vitro as well as bone formation and growth into implants in vivo. This study provides an optional alternative to the conventional porous Ti6Al4V scaffold with enhanced osteogenesis and osseointegration for the repair of large bone defects.

Biofunctional magnesium coated Ti6Al4V scaffold enhances osteogenesis and angiogenesis in vitro and in vivo for orthopedic application

The insufficient osteogenesis and osseointegration of porous titanium based scaffold limit its further application. Early angiogenesis is important for scaffold survival. It is necessary to develop a multifunctional surface on titanium scaffold with both osteogenic and angiogenic properties. In this study, a biofunctional magnesium coating is deposited on porous Ti6Al4V scaffold. For osseointegration and osteogenesis analysis, in vitro studies reveal that magnesium-coated Ti6Al4V co-culture with MC3T3-E1 cells can improve cell proliferation, adhesion, extracellular matrix (ECM) mineralization and ALP activity compared with bare Ti6Al4V cocultivation. Additionally, MC3T3-E1 cells cultured with magnesium-coated Ti6Al4V show significantly higher osteogenesis-related genes expression. In vivo studies including fluorochrome labeling, micro-computerized tomography and histological examination of magnesium-coated Ti6Al4V scaffold reveal that new bone regeneration is significantly increased in rabbits after implantation. For angiogenesis studies, magnesium-coated Ti6Al4V improve HUVECs proliferation, adhesion, tube formation, wound-healing and Transwell abilities. HUVECs cultured with magnesium-coated Ti6Al4V display significantly higher angiogenesis-related genes (HIF-1α and VEGF) expression. Microangiography analysis reveal that magnesium-coated Ti6Al4V scaffold can significantly enhance the blood vessel formation. This study enlarges the application scope of magnesium and provides an optional choice to the conventional porous Ti6Al4V scaffold with enhanced osteogenesis and angiogenesis for further orthopedic applications.

Rationally designed functionally graded porous Ti6Al4V scaffolds with high strength and toughness built via selective laser melting for load-bearing orthopedic applications

Functionally graded materials (FGMs) with porosity variation strategy mimicking natural bone are potential high-performance biomaterials for orthopedic implants. The architecture of FGM scaffold is critical to gain the favorable combination of mechanical and biological properties for osseointegration. In this study, four types of FGM scaffolds with different structures were prepared by selective laser melting (SLM) with Ti6Al4V as building material. All the scaffolds were hollow cylinders with different three-dimensional architectures and had gradient porosity resembling the graded-porous structure of human bone. Two unit cells (diamond and honeycomb-like unit cells) were used to construct the cellular structures. Solid support structures were embedded into the cellular structures to improve their mechanical performances. The physical characteristics, mechanical properties, and deformation behaviors of the scaffolds were compared systematically. All the as-built samples with porosities of ~52–67% exhibited a radial decreasing porosity from the inner layer to the outer layer, and their pore sizes ranged from ~420 to ~630 μm. The compression tests showed the Young's moduli of all the as-fabricated samples (~3.79–~10.99 GPa) were similar to that of cortical bone. The FGM structures built by honeycomb-like unit cells with supporting structure in outer layer exhibited highest yield strength, toughness and stable mechanical properties which is more appropriate to build orthopedic scaffolds for load-bearing application.

Functionalized TiCu/Ti‐Cu‐N‐Coated 3D‐Printed Porous Ti6Al4V Scaffold Promotes Bone Regeneration through BMSC Recruitment

AbstractTi6Al4V scaffolds have high strength and corrosion resistance. 3D printing technology can optimize the pore structure of Ti6Al4V scaffolds, promoting bone tissue growth into the scaffolds to form firm osseointegrations. However, Ti6Al4V lacks biological activity. This defect can be overcome through surface modifications. Arc ion plating is employed to prepare titanium copper/titanium copper nitride (TiCu/Ti‐Cu‐N) multilayer coating, which is applied to 3D‐printed porous Ti6Al4V scaffolds by selective laser melting and bearing 300–400 µm pores. In addition to the excellent biological activity of copper, TiN shows superior corrosion resistance. The scaffold properties, osteogenesis, and osteointegration are evaluated in vitro and in vivo. Results show that human bone mesenchymal stem cells (hBMSCs) proliferate and adhere more effectively on coated scaffolds than on uncoated scaffolds. Further, the coating has a significant role in recruiting hBMSCs, and upregulation of the SDF‐1α/CXCR4 axis, p38 expression, and extracellular signal‐related kinase (Erk) and Akt signaling pathway. The in vitro results are further confirmed by an animal experiment in the New Zealand white rabbit femur tibia defect. Overall, the TiCu/Ti‐Cu‐N‐coated 3D‐printed Ti6Al4V scaffold shows excellent biocompatibility and bioactivity in promoting bone repair. The underlying mechanism may involve recruiting BMSCs and promoting their osteogenic differentiation.

Sustainable release of vancomycin from micro-arc oxidised 3D-printed porous Ti6Al4V for treating methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bone infection and enhancing osteogenesis in a rabbit tibia osteomyelitis model.

Elimination of infection and enhancement of osteogenesis by orthopaedic implants are two critical factors in the treatment of complex bone infections. A prolonged and expensive procedure requiring two surgical steps and a 6-8-week period of joint immobilisation is utilised as a primary treatment for revision arthroplasty of an infected prosthesis, greatly affecting long-term patient care for the ageing population. Here, we evaluated the effects of vancomycin-loaded in micro-arc oxidised (MAO) three-dimensional (3D) printed porous Ti6Al4V scaffolds on osteogenesis. This system showed a high loading capacity and sustained vancomycin release kinetics, as demonstrated using high-performance liquid chromatography. In vivo, 0.1 mL of 108 colony forming units (CFU) methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus was injected into the tibias of rabbits to induce severe osteomyelitis. Physical, haematological, radiographic, microbiological, and histopathological analyses were performed to evaluate the effects of treatment. Rabbits with vancomycin-loaded in MAO scaffolds showed the inhibition of bone infection and enhancement of osteogenesis, resulting in better outcomes than in the other groups. Overall, these findings demonstrated the potential of this 3D printed porous Ti6Al4V, with good osteogenesis and sustained vancomycin release properties, for application in the treatment of complex bone infections.

Study of Bone Regeneration and Osteointegration Effect of a Novel Selective Laser-Melted Titanium-Tantalum-Niobium-Zirconium Alloy Scaffold.

Titanium-tantalum-niobium-zirconium (Ti-Ta-Nb-Zr) alloy is a novel material currently available for orthopedic applications. However, these scaffolds, manufactured using traditional methods, present disadvantages such as irregular pore size, unsuitable mechanical features, and poor connectivity between pores. In this study, porous Ti-Ta-Nb-Zr (60% Ti, 2% Ta, 36% Nb, and 2% Zr) scaffolds were printed by selective laser melting (SLM) with a controllable pore size of 300-400 μm. The mechanical properties of the SLM-manufactured scaffolds were evaluated, as well as its osteogenesis in vitro and osteointegration in vivo. Porous Ti-Ta-Nb-Zr scaffolds yielded superior cell proliferation and cell adhesion results with human bone mesenchymal stem cells (hBMSCs) compared with porous Ti6Al4V scaffolds. The osteogenic differentiation experiment demonstrated enhanced osteogenic differentiation of hBMSCs in the Ti-Ta-Nb-Zr group than in the Ti6Al4V group. After the porous Ti-Ta-Nb-Zr or control scaffolds were implanted into a cylindrical bone defect in the rabbit lateral femoral condyle, the initial radiological results confirmed the excellent osteogenic activity of the novel 3D-printed scaffolds. Histological analysis further indicated that the Ti-Ta-Nb-Zr scaffolds promoted bone regeneration and osteointegration more effectively than Ti6Al4V scaffolds. Our findings demonstrate that the SLM-manufactured porous Ti-Ta-Nb-Zr scaffold has considerable potential for clinical orthopedic application.

Bionic mechanical design and 3D printing of novel porous Ti6Al4V implants for biomedical applications.

In maxillofacial surgery, there is a significant need for the design and fabrication of porous scaffolds with customizable bionic structures and mechanical properties suitable for bone tissue engineering. In this paper, we characterize the porous Ti6Al4V implant, which is one of the most promising and attractive biomedical applications due to the similarity of its modulus to human bones. We describe the mechanical properties of this implant, which we suggest is capable of providing important biological functions for bone tissue regeneration. We characterize a novel bionic design and fabrication process for porous implants. A design concept of "reducing dimensions and designing layer by layer" was used to construct layered slice and rod-connected mesh structure (LSRCMS) implants. Porous LSRCMS implants with different parameters and porosities were fabricated by selective laser melting (SLM). Printed samples were evaluated by microstructure characterization, specific mechanical properties were analyzed by mechanical tests, and finite element analysis was used to digitally calculate the stress characteristics of the LSRCMS under loading forces. Our results show that the samples fabricated by SLM had good structure printing quality with reasonable pore sizes. The porosity, pore size, and strut thickness of manufactured samples ranged from (60.95± 0.27)% to (81.23±0.32)%, (480±28) to (685±31) μm, and (263±28) to (265±28) μm, respectively. The compression results show that the Young's modulus and the yield strength ranged from (2.23±0.03) to (6.36±0.06) GPa and (21.36±0.42) to (122.85±3.85) MPa, respectively. We also show that the Young's modulus and yield strength of the LSRCMS samples can be predicted by the Gibson-Ashby model. Further, we prove the structural stability of our novel design by finite element analysis. Our results illustrate that our novel SLM-fabricated porous Ti6Al4V scaffolds based on an LSRCMS are a promising material for bone implants, and are potentially applicable to the field of bone defect repair.

Fabrication and Characterization of Nanopillar-Like HA Coating on Porous Ti6Al4V Scaffold by a Combination of Alkali–Acid-Heat and Hydrothermal Treatments

Porous titanium scaffold with suitable porous architecture exhibits enormous potentials for bone defect repairs. However, insufficient osteointegration and osteoinduction still remain to open as one of the major problems to achieve satisfactory therapeutic effect. To solve this problem, many studies have been carried out to improve the bioactivity of porous titanium scaffold by surface modifications. In this study, porous Ti6Al4V scaffolds were fabricated using additive manufacturing technique. Porous architectures were built up based on a diamond pore structure unit. Alkali–acid-heat (AH) treatment was applied to create a TiO2 layer on the porous Ti6Al4V scaffold (AH-porous Ti6Al4V). Subsequently, a hydrothermal treatment was employed to enable the formation of HA coating with nanopillar-like morphology on the alkali–acid-heat-treated surface (HT/AH-porous Ti6Al4V). The effects of surface modifications on apatite-forming ability, protein adsorption, cell attachment, cell proliferation and osteogenic gene expression were studied using apatite-forming ability test, protein adsorption assay and in vitro cell culture assay. It was found that the HT/AH-porous Ti6Al4V exhibited the highest apatite formation ability and best affinity to fibronectin and vitronectin. In vitro studies indicated that the mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) cultured on the HT/AH-porous Ti6Al4V presented improved adhesion and differentiation compared with the porous Ti6Al4V and AH-porous Ti6Al4V.

Polydopamine coating promotes early osteogenesis in 3D printing porous Ti6Al4V scaffolds.

Titanium implants are widely used in orthopedic and dental for more than 30 years. Its stable physicochemical properties and mechanical strength are indeed appropriate for implantation. However, the Bioinertia oxidized layer and higher elastic modulus often lead to the early implantation failure. In this study, we proposed a simple design of porous structure to minimize the disparity between scaffold and natural bone tissue, and introduced a one-step reaction to form a polydopamine (PDA) layer on the surface of titanium for the purpose of improving osteogenesis as well. The porous scaffolds with pore size of 400 µm and porosity of 44.66% were made by additive manufacturing. The cell behavior was tested by seeding MC3T3-E1 cells on Ti6Al4V films for 15 days. The biomechanical properties were then analyzed by finite element (FE) method and the in vivo osteogenesis effect was accordingly evaluated by implanting the scaffolds for 5 weeks in rabbits. According to the achieved results, it was revealed that the immersion for 40 min with dopamine could significantly improve the cell adhesion. The proposed method for design of porous structure can avoid the stress shielding effect and bone growth inside the PDA coating scaffolds, which were observed at the early stage of bone healing process. It can be concluded that the proposed PDA coating method is effective in promoting early osteogenesis, as well as being easy to operate, and can be helpful in the future clinical application of titanium implants.

Early osteointegration evaluation of porous Ti6Al4V scaffolds designed based on triply periodic minimal surface models

BackgroundThe graded porous structures were designed using triply periodic minimal surfaces models to mimic the biomechanical properties of bone. The mechanical properties and bone formation ability were evaluated to explore the feasibility of the design method in bone tissue engineering. MethodsThe scaffolds were designed using a P-surface with different pore sizes. All materials were fabricated using 3D printing technology and the mechanical properties were tested by an electronic universal testing device. The biomechanical properties were then analyzed by finite element method, while the ontogenesis of the material in vivo was examined by implanting the scaffolds for five weeks in pigs. ResultsAccording to the obtained results, the pore size ranged between 100 μm to about 700 μm and porosity were around 49.54%. The graded porous architectures can decrease the stiffness of implants and reduce the stress shielding effect. In addition, these porous structures can stimulate bone ingrowth and achieve a stable interface between implants and surrounding bone tissues after 5 weeks' implantation. The micro-CT results also demonstrated the obviously bone formation around all the porous structures. ConclusionTo sum up, the triply periodic minimal surfaces based graded porous structure is effective in decreasing the stress shielding effect, promoting early osteogenesis and osteointegration. This is the first research to explore the effect of this kind of porous structures on bone formation in vivo where the obtained results supported the previous theoretical research on the application potential in bone tissue engineering. The translational potential of this articlePorous architecture designed using triply periodic minimal surface models can achieve gradually changed pore size and appropriate porosity for bone regeneration. This kind of structure can mimic the Young’s modulus of natural bone tissue, improve the stress transmission capability and dismiss the stress shielding effect. It also can stimulate the early bone integration in vivo and enhance the binding force between bone and implants, which may bring a new design method for orthopaedic implants and their surface structure.

The effect of pore size and porosity of Ti6Al4V scaffolds on MC3T3-E1 cells and tissue in rabbits

Electron beam melting (EBM) allows the fabrication of specific porous titanium implants, whereas their in vitro and in vivo biological performance should be further investigated. In this study, we examined the porous Ti6Al4V scaffolds (low, 334.1 μm pore size with 55.4% porosity; middle, 383.2 μm pore size with 65.2% porosity; and high, 401.6 μm pore size with 78.1% porosity) fabricated through EBM. The structural characterization and mechanical properties of porous Ti6Al4V scaffolds were measured through micro-computed tomography (micro-CT), scanning electron microscopy, and a material testing system. MC3T3-E1 cells were used to assess the proliferation and differentiation of the cells on different scaffolds at day 7 and day 14 based on the expression levels of genes, including alkaline phosphatase, bone morphogenetic protein-2, osteopontin and runt-related transcription factor-2. Rabbits with distal femoral defects were utilized to evaluate bone ingrowth in the porous titanium. All of the samples were subjected to micro-CT and histological analysis after 12 weeks. Results showed that compressive Young’s modulus of 0.3–1.1 GPa was similar to the trabecular bone. The three types of porous Ti6Al4V scaffolds were inclined to promote cell proliferation, whereas cell differentiation and bone ingrowth into the porous scaffolds were biased to the porous titanium with relatively large pores and porosity (middle and high). This study implied that the present porous implant design, which had the combined advantages of different pore sizes and porosity, might be meaningful and promising for trabecular bone defect restoration.

<i>In Vitro</i> and <i>in Vivo</i> Study of Selective Laser Melted Porous Ti-Ta-Nb-Zr Scaffolds for Repairing Bone Defects

Porous titanium-tantalum-niobium-zirconium (Ti-Ta-Nb-Zr) scaffolds are novel low-modulus metal scaffolds resembling cancellous bone, currently available for orthopedic applications. However, these scaffolds manufactured using traditional methods present disadvantages such as irregular pore size, unsuitable mechanical features, and poor connectivity between pores. Metal-based porous structures scaffolds for bone-defect repair can be fabricated using advanced additive manufacturing techniques. Here, we used selective laser melting (SLM) technology to manufacture porous Ti-Ta-Nb-Zr scaffolds with controlled pore size of 300~400 μm. We evaluated the SLM-manufactured scaffold mechanical properties and osteogenesis in vitro and osteointegration in vivo. Porous Ti-Ta-Nb-Zr scaffolds yielded superior cell-proliferation and cell-adhesion results with human bone mesenchymal stem cells (hBMSCs) as compared with porous Ti6Al4V scaffolds. The ALP-activity measurement and semiquantitative alizarin red staining demonstrated enhanced osteogenic differentiation of hBMSCs in the Ti-Ta-Nb-Zr group than in Ti6Al4V group. Moreover, after the porous Ti-Ta-Nb-Zr or control scaffold was implanted into a cylindric bone defect in the rabbit lateral femoral condyle, the radiography of new bone regeneration showed that the bone-volume/total-volume ratio was higher in Ti-Ta-Nb-Zr scaffolds than in Ti6Al4V scaffolds. Histological analysis further indicated that the Ti-Ta-Nb-Zr scaffolds promoted bone regeneration and osseointegration more effectively than Ti6Al4V scaffolds. Thus, the SLM-manufactured porous Ti-Ta-Nb-Zr scaffolds not only exhibited regular pore shape and excellent connectivity, but also featured a controllable elastic modulus and compressive strength, and the scaffolds yielded superior osteogenesis and osseointegration results in vitro and in vivo than porous Ti6Al4V. Our findings demonstrate that the SLM-manufactured porous Ti-Ta-Nb-Zr scaffold holds considerable potential for orthopedic clinical application.

Sintered porous Ti6Al4V scaffolds incorporated with recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 microspheres and thermosensitive hydrogels can enhance bone regeneration.

A well-controlled powder sintering technique was used to fabricate porous Ti6Al4V scaffold. The thermosensitive chitosan thioglycolic acid (CS-TA) hydrogel was used as a carrier to inject recombinant human bone morphogenetic protein-2 (rhBMP-2) microspheres into pores of the Ti6Al4V scaffold at 37 °C, and then the porous Ti6Al4V/rhBMP-2 loaded hydrogel composite was obtained. The bare Ti6Al4V scaffold was used as the control. The characteristics and mechanical properties of the scaffold, rheological properties of the hydrogels and the rhBMP-2 loaded hydrogel, the release of the rhBMP-2 loaded hydrogel, and the biological properties of the two types of samples were evaluated by in vitro and in vivo tests. Results indicated that the sintered porous Ti6Al4V had high porosity, large pore size with good mechanical properties. The hydrogel and rhBMP-2 loaded hydrogel showed thermosensity. The rhBMP-2 loaded hydrogel showed a stable and extended release profile without too high burst release of rhBMP-2. Both groups showed good biocompatibility and osteogenic ability. However, according to the results of cell tests and implantation, the group with rhBMP-2 loaded hydrogel had significantly higher cell proliferation rate, faster bone growth speed, and more bone ingrowth at every time point. Therefore, the sintered porous Ti6Al4V scaffolds incorporated with rhBMP-2 microspheres and CS-TA hydrogel was effective in enhancing the bone regeneration, and prospects a good candidate for application in orthopedics.

In Vitro and in Vivo Study of 3D-Printed Porous Tantalum Scaffolds for Repairing Bone Defects.

Porous tantalum (Ta) scaffold is a novel implant material widely used in orthopedics including joint surgery, spinal surgery, bone tumor surgery, and trauma surgery. However, porous Ta scaffolds manufactured using the traditional method have many disadvantages. We used selective laser melting (SLM) technology to manufacture porous Ta scaffolds, and the pore size was controlled to 400 μm. The compressive strength and elastic modulus of the porous scaffolds were evaluated in vitro. To evaluate the osteogenesis and osseointegration of Ta scaffolds manufactured by SLM technology, cytocompatibility in vitro and osseointegration ability in vivo were evaluated. This porous Ta scaffold group showed superior cell adhesion and proliferation results of human bone mesenchymal stem cells (hBMSCs) compared with the control porous Ti6Al4V group. Moreover, the alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity at day 7 and the semiquantitative analysis of Alizarin red staining at day 21 demonstrated that osteogenic differentiation of hBMSCs was enhanced in the Ta group. The porous Ta scaffold was implanted into a cylindrical bone defect with a height and diameter of 1 and 0.5 cm, respectively, in the lateral femoral condyle of New Zealand rabbits. Radiographic analysis showed that the new bone formation in Ta scaffolds was higher than that in Ti6Al4V scaffolds. Histological images indicated that compared with porous Ti6Al4V scaffolds, Ta scaffolds increased bone ingrowth and osseointegration. The porous Ta scaffold manufactured by SLM not only has a regular pore shape and connectivity but also has controllable elastic modulus and compressive strength. Moreover, the osteogenesis and osseointegration results in vitro and in vivo were improved compared with those of the porous Ti6Al4V scaffold manufactured using the same technology. These findings demonstrate that the porous Ta scaffold manufactured by SLM is potentially useful for orthopedic clinical application.

Integrating 3D Printing and Biomimetic Mineralization for Personalized Enhanced Osteogenesis, Angiogenesis, and Osteointegration.

Titanium (Ti) alloy implants can repair bone defects at load-bearing sites. However, they mechanically mismatch with the natural bone and lack customized adaption with the irregularly major-sized load-bearing bone defects, resulting in the failure of implant fixation. Mineralized collagen (MC), a building block in bone, can induce angiogenesis and osteogenesis, and 3D printing technology can be employed to prepare scaffolds with an overall shape customized to the bone defect. Hence, we induced the formation of MC, made of hydroxyapatite (HAp) nanocrystals and collagen fibers, in 3D-printed porous Ti6Al4V (PT) scaffolds through in situ biomimetic mineralization. The resultant MC/PT scaffolds exhibited a bone-like Young's modulus and were customized to the anatomical contour of actual bone defects of rabbit model. We found that the biocompatibility and osteogenic differentiation are best when the mass ratio between HAp nanocrystals and collagen fibers is 1 in MC. We then implanted the MC/PT scaffolds into the customized radius defect rabbit model and found that the MC/PT scaffolds significantly improved the vascularized bone tissue formation and integration between new bone and the implants. Therefore, a combination of 3D printing and biomimetic mineralization could lead to customized 3D PT scaffolds for enhanced angiogenesis, osteogenesis, and osteointegration. Such scaffolds represent novel patient-specific implants for precisely repairing irregularmajor-sized load-bearing bone defects.

3D Culture of Bone Marrow-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells (BMSCs) Could Improve Bone Regeneration in 3D-Printed Porous Ti6Al4V Scaffolds.

Mandibular bone defect reconstruction is an urgent challenge due to the requirements for daily eating and facial aesthetics. Three-dimensional- (3D-) printed titanium (Ti) scaffolds could provide patient-specific implants for bone defects. Appropriate load-bearing properties are also required during bone reconstruction, which makes them potential candidates for mandibular bone defect reconstruction implants. However, in clinical practice, the insufficient osteogenesis of the scaffolds needs to be further improved. In this study, we first encapsulated bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) into Matrigel. Subsequently, the BMSC-containing Matrigels were infiltrated into porous Ti6Al4V scaffolds. The Matrigels in the scaffolds provided a 3D culture environment for the BMSCs, which was important for osteoblast differentiation and new bone formation. Our results showed that rats with a full thickness of critical mandibular defects treated with Matrigel-infiltrated Ti6Al4V scaffolds exhibited better new bone formation than rats with local BMSC injection or Matrigel-treated defects. Our data suggest that Matrigel is able to create a more favorable 3D microenvironment for BMSCs, and Matrigel containing infiltrated BMSCs may be a promising method for enhancing the bone formation properties of 3D-printed Ti6Al4V scaffolds. We suggest that this approach provides an opportunity to further improve the efficiency of stem cell therapy for the treatment of mandibular bone defects.

Hydroxyapatite Nanoparticle-Coated 3D-Printed Porous Ti6Al4V and CoCrMo Alloy Scaffolds and Their Biocompatibility to Human Osteoblasts.

Hydroxyapatite nanoparticles were prepared by hydrothermal method using calcium nitrate and phosphoric acid as precursors and ammonia aqueous solution as a pH value adjustor. The 3D-printed porous Ti6Al4V and CoCrMo alloy scaffolds were effectively coated with hydroxyapatite nanoparticles in the hydrothermal synthesis process by deposition method. Coating hydroxyapatite nanoparticles on the implant surfaces increased their biocompatibility and bioactivity. HAP-deposited Ti6Al4V or HAP-deposited CoCrMo scaffold induced no statistical increase in terms of apoptosis in hFOB1.19 cells compared with bare Ti6Al4V or bare CoCrMo. Interestingly, HAP coating groups presented CCK-8 values compared with bare groups suggesting that HAP could enhance cell proliferation.

Mechanical and In Vitro Antibacterial Properties of a Porous Ti–6Al–4V Scaffold Combined with Vancomycin-Loaded Polymethyl Methacrylate by Three-Dimensional Printing

Mechanical and<i> In Vitro</i> Antibacterial Properties of a Porous Ti–6Al–4V Scaffold Combined with Vancomycin-Loaded Polymethyl Methacrylate by Three-Dimensional Printing

The biomimetic design and 3D printing of customized mechanical properties porous Ti6Al4V scaffold for load-bearing bone reconstruction

The Ti6Al4V alloy is one of the most commonly used in orthopedic surgery. Mechanical property of implant contributes important biological functions for load-bearing bone tissue reconstruction. There is a significant need for design and fabrication of porous scaffold with customized mechanical properties for bone tissue engineering. In this paper, bionic design and fabrication of porous implants were studied by using finite element analysis (FEA) and 3D printing techniques. Novel porous architectures were built up with diamond lattice pore structure arraying units. With finite element analysis, the structure weak points under pressure were simulated so that the mechanical properties of the implants were optimized. Porous implants with different porosities and mechanical properties were precisely fabricated by selected laser melting (SLM), one of powder bed fusion additive manufacturing techniques. The biocompatibility and repair effect were studied by in vivo experiments. Animal results indicated that the damaged load-bearing bones were well reconstructed. New generated bones embedded and fitted into the designed porous implants. The optimized design and precisely manufactured implants are conducive to bone tissue repair and reconstruction.