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Additive manufacturing of poly[(R)-3-hydroxybutyrate-co-(R)-3-hydroxyhexanoate] scaffolds for engineered bone
Carlos Mota1, Shen-Yu Wang2, Dario Puppi1
1Laboratory of Bioactive Polymeric Materials for Biomedical and Environmental Applications (BIOLab), Department of Chemistry and Industrial Chemistry, University of Pisa, Italy.
Summary
Biodegradable poly(hydroxyalkanoate)s (PHAs) were used to create custom 3D tissue-engineering scaffolds. These poly[(R)-3-hydroxybutyrate-co-(R)-3-hydroxyhexanoate] (PHBHHx) scaffolds support cell growth and differentiation for bone regeneration.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Science
- Tissue Engineering
- Polymer Chemistry
Background:
- Poly(hydroxyalkanoate)s (PHAs) are biodegradable polyesters produced by bacteria.
- PHAs are suitable for fabricating tissue-engineering scaffolds.
- Poly[(R)-3-hydroxybutyrate-co-(R)-3-hydroxyhexanoate] (PHBHHx) is a specific PHA with potential applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the additive manufacturing of PHBHHx scaffolds using a computer-controlled wet-spinning system.
- To optimize processing parameters for fabricating scaffolds with controlled internal architectures.
- To evaluate the physical, mechanical, and biological properties of the fabricated PHBHHx scaffolds.
Main Methods:
- Additive manufacturing via a computer-controlled wet-spinning system.
- Optimization of processing parameters to control scaffold architecture.
- Characterization using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) for structural analysis.
- Mechanical testing to determine compressive modulus, yield stress, and strain.
- Cell culture experiments with MC3T3-E1 pre-osteoblast cells.
Main Results:
- Three-dimensional scaffolds with controlled fibre alignment and interconnected porous networks were fabricated.
- Porosity ranged from 79-88%, with fibre diameters of 47-76 µm and pore sizes of 123-789 µm.
- Scaffold mechanical properties (compressive modulus, yield stress, and strain) were tunable by adjusting architectural parameters.
- MC3T3-E1 cells exhibited good proliferation and differentiation towards an osteoblast phenotype on the scaffolds after 21 days.
Conclusions:
- PHBHHx scaffolds can be successfully fabricated using additive manufacturing with controlled architectures.
- The scaffolds possess favorable structural and mechanical properties for tissue engineering applications.
- The PHBHHx scaffolds demonstrate significant potential for promoting osteoblast differentiation and bone regeneration.
