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A Facile and Eco-friendly Route to Fabricate Poly(Lactic Acid) Scaffolds with Graded Pore Size
Published on: October 17, 2016
Porous polylactide/beta-tricalcium phosphate composite scaffolds for tissue engineering applications
Anne-Marie Haaparanta1, Suvi Haimi, Ville Ellä
1Tampere University of Technology, Department of Biomedical Engineering, PO Box 692, 33101 Tampere, Finland. anne-marie.haaparanta@tut.fi
Journal of Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine
|January 20, 2010
Summary
This study fabricated porous polylactide/beta-tricalcium phosphate (PLA/beta-TCP) composite scaffolds for tissue engineering. The results show these scaffolds have potential for treating osteochondral defects due to their structure and ability to encourage bone and cartilage cell growth.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Science
- Tissue Engineering
- Materials Science
Background:
- Osteochondral defects require advanced regenerative strategies.
- Biodegradable composite scaffolds offer promising solutions for bone and cartilage repair.
- Polylactide/beta-tricalcium phosphate (PLA/beta-TCP) composites are being explored for their biocompatibility and osteoconductivity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To fabricate and characterize graded porous PLA/beta-TCP composite scaffolds.
- To investigate the effect of varying PLA concentrations (2 and 3 wt%) and beta-TCP ratios (5, 10, 20 wt%) on scaffold properties.
- To assess the structural integrity and potential for tissue regeneration over 26 weeks of hydrolysis.
Main Methods:
- Freeze-drying technique used for scaffold fabrication.
- Characterization included pH, weight change, component ratios, thermal stability, inherent viscosity, and microstructure analysis.
- Hydrolysis studies conducted over 26 weeks to evaluate degradation and stability.
Main Results:
- No significant structural changes observed with beta-TCP addition.
- Beta-TCP content did not influence pore size or distribution.
- Freeze-drying method enhanced the thermal stability of the PLA/beta-TCP scaffolds.
- Scaffolds exhibited a porous bottom surface and a dense surface skin.
Conclusions:
- PLA/beta-TCP composite scaffolds demonstrate structural integrity suitable for tissue engineering applications.
- The composite's properties, including osteogenic potential from beta-TCP, support bone cell growth.
- The distinct surface structures may selectively guide chondrocyte and osteoblast ingrowth for osteochondral defect repair.
