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Published on: January 7, 2019
Processing of polycaprolactone and polycaprolactone-based copolymers into 3D scaffolds, and their cellular responses
Md Enamul Hoque1, Wong Yoke San, Feng Wei
1Department of Mechanical, Materials and Manufacturing Engineering, University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus, Semenyih, Malaysia. enamul.hoque@nottingham.edu.my
Tissue Engineering. Part A
|April 1, 2009
Summary
This study explored processing poly(epsilon-caprolactone) (PCL) and PCL-poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) copolymers into 3D porous scaffolds for tissue engineering. Results show PCL-PEG copolymers enhance cell culture performance, with scaffold architecture influencing mechanical properties but not cell behavior.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Science
- Tissue Engineering
- Polymer Chemistry
Background:
- Synthetic polymers are crucial in tissue engineering for tunable biomechanical properties.
- Poly(epsilon-caprolactone) (PCL) and its copolymers with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) are promising biomaterials.
- Developing advanced scaffold architectures is key for regenerative medicine.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the feasibility of fabricating 3D porous scaffolds from PCL, PCL-PEG diblock, and PCL-PEG-PCL triblock copolymers.
- To analyze the morphological, mechanical, and thermal properties of the fabricated scaffolds.
- To evaluate the in vitro cell culture performance of the scaffolds using rabbit smooth muscle cells.
Main Methods:
- Rapid prototyping using a desktop robot-based system to manufacture scaffolds.
- Dynamic thermal analysis for polymer property investigation.
- Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) for scaffold structural analysis.
- In vitro cell culture studies with light, SEM, and confocal laser microscopy.
Main Results:
- Scaffolds exhibited excellent filament fusion, uniform structure, and interconnected pore networks.
- Process parameters significantly influenced scaffold pore size, porosity, and mechanical characteristics.
- Rabbit smooth muscle cells demonstrated adhesion, proliferation, and extracellular matrix formation within the scaffolds.
- Incorporation of PEG into PCL enhanced hydrophilicity and improved cell culture performance.
Conclusions:
- PCL-PEG copolymers offer enhanced cell culture performance for tissue engineering applications.
- Scaffold architecture significantly impacts mechanical properties, but not cell culture performance in this study.
- Robot-based rapid prototyping is a viable method for producing complex, interconnected porous scaffolds.
