Biodegradable and bioactive porous scaffold structures prepared using fused deposition modeling

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Tissue Engineering
• Additive Manufacturing

Background:

• Three-dimensional printing (3DP) offers versatile applications in tissue engineering.
• Fused deposition modeling (FDM) is a 3DP technique limited by its material scope.
• Biodegradable porous scaffolds are crucial for regenerative medicine.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the fabrication of biodegradable porous scaffolds using FDM.
• To evaluate the compressive properties of these novel scaffolds.
• To assess the cellular response of fibroblasts on the printed structures.

Main Methods:

• Utilized FDM 3D printing to create scaffolds from poly(ε-caprolactone)/bioactive glass (PCL/BAG) composite and L-lactide/ε-caprolactone 75/25 mol % copolymer (PLC).
• Employed scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to analyze scaffold surface morphology.
• Conducted compressive testing to determine mechanical properties.
• Assessed fibroblast cell proliferation and viability using optical microscopy and SEM.

Main Results:

• Successfully demonstrated the printability of PCL/BAG composite and PLC for the first time.
• SEM confirmed the presence of BAG particles on PCL/BAG scaffolds.
• Compressive properties could be modulated by altering scaffold stiffness without changing modulus.
• Scaffold properties were significantly influenced by porosity and geometry.
• Fibroblast proliferation was highest in PLC scaffolds compared to PCL or PCL/BAG.
• Microscopy confirmed cell viability, indicating good biocompatibility.

Conclusions:

• Novel biodegradable scaffolds can be fabricated using FDM with PCL/BAG and PLC.
• The mechanical properties of these scaffolds are tunable and dependent on design parameters.
• The printed scaffolds exhibit excellent biocompatibility and support fibroblast proliferation, showing promise for tissue engineering applications.