Polylactic acid fibre-reinforced polycaprolactone scaffolds for bone tissue engineering

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Tissue Engineering
• Regenerative Medicine

Background:

• Hierarchically complex tissues like spongy bone require advanced biomaterials for effective regeneration.
• Composite scaffolds offer a promising strategy to mimic the intricate architecture and long-term behavior of native bone tissue.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and characterize fibre-reinforced composite scaffolds using poly(epsilon-caprolactone) (PCL) and poly-L-lactide acid (PLLA) for bone tissue engineering.
• To evaluate the porosity, in vitro degradation, and cell interactions of the PCL/PLLA composite scaffolds.

Main Methods:

• Synergistic use of phase inversion/particulate leaching and filament winding technologies to fabricate scaffolds.
• Characterization of scaffold porosity, pore size distribution, and in vitro degradation in various solutions (PBS, SBF, NaOH).
• Assessment of marrow stromal cell (MSC) and human osteoblast (HOB) proliferation, migration, and influence on scaffold degradation.

Main Results:

• Achieved high porosity (79.7%) with bimodal pore size distribution (peaks at ~10 µm and ~200 µm).
• Scaffolds showed minimal degradation in PBS and SBF over 35 days, with preferential PLLA degradation in NaOH.
• Demonstrated rapid MSC and HOB proliferation and oriented cell migration along fibre alignment, with MSCs contributing more to PLLA degradation.

Conclusions:

• The developed PCL/PLLA composite scaffolds offer tuneable porosity, controlled degradability, and guided cell-material interactions.
• These scaffolds show significant potential for applications in bone tissue engineering, particularly for regenerating complex bone structures.
• The study highlights the importance of scaffold design in influencing cell behavior and degradation for successful tissue regeneration.