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Published on: October 23, 2015
Fabrication of porous polycaprolactone/hydroxyapatite (PCL/HA) blend scaffolds using a 3D plotting system for bone
Su A Park1, Su Hee Lee, Wan Doo Kim
1Nature-Inspired Mechanical System Team, Nano Convergence and Manufacturing Systems Research Division, Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials, 104 Sinseongno, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon, Korea. psa@kimm.re.kr
Abstract:
For tissue engineering and regeneration, a porous scaffold with interconnected networks is needed to guide cell attachment and growth/ingrowth in three-dimensional (3D) structure. Using a rapid prototyping (RP) technique, we designed and fabricated 3D plotting system and three types of scaffolds: those from polycaprolactone (PCL), those from PCL and hydroxyapatite (HA), and those from PCL/HA and with a shifted pattern structure (PCL/HA/SP scaffold). Shifted pattern structure was fabricated to increase the cell attachment/adhesion. The PCL/HA/SP scaffold had a lower compressive modulus than PCL and PCL/HA scaffold. However, it has a better cell attachment than the scaffolds without a shifted pattern. MTT assay and alkaline phosphatase activity results for the PCL/HA/SP scaffolds were significantly enhanced compared to the results for the PCL and PCL/HA scaffolds. According to their degree of cell proliferation/differentiation, the scaffolds were in the following order: PCL/HA/SP > PCL/HA > PCL. These 3D scaffolds will be applicable for tissue engineering based on unique plotting system.
