A novel scaffold based on formation and agglomeration of PCL microbeads by freeze-drying

Polycaprolactone (PCL) scaffolds were prepared by freeze-drying of polymer solutions in tetrahydrofuran. Effects of the polymer composition, which is 10 and 20% (w/v), on the scaffold properties for example, morphology, porosity, mechanical stability, degradability, and so forth were investigated by using suitable methods. Scanning electron microscopy photographs clearly showed the presence of a porous, three-dimensional structure including agglomerated PCL microspheres. Porosity analysis demonstrated that 10 and 20% (w/v) scaffolds have 95.9% and 74.4% porosity, respectively. The microspheres have very narrow size distribution and their diameters increase from 50-70 microm to 90-100 microm with increasing PCL content from 10 to 20% (w/v). The microspheres were highly connected with each other and the scaffolds have superior mechanical properties when compared with the traditional PCL scaffolds. Cell culture experiments showed that periodontal ligament cells (PDL) were able to attach and proliferate on the 20% PCL scaffold. The results demonstrated that this novel PCL structure will be a potential tissue engineering scaffold with its superior properties and simple preparation procedure.