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Biological functionality of extracellular matrix-ornamented three-dimensional printed hydroxyapatite scaffolds
A Kumar1, K C Nune1, R D K Misra1
1Department of Metallurgical, Materials and Biomedical Engineering, 500 W. University Avenue, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, Texas, 79968.
Journal of Biomedical Materials Research. Part A
|January 23, 2016
Summary
Three-dimensional (3D) printing creates patient-specific bone scaffolds. Coating these hydroxyapatite (HA) scaffolds with decellularized extracellular matrix (dECM) enhanced 3D tissue growth and cell interaction, promoting bone defect repair.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Engineering
- Tissue Engineering
- Regenerative Medicine
Background:
- Three-dimensional (3D) printing offers precise fabrication of patient-specific implantable devices.
- Tailoring scaffold architecture allows control over physical, mechanical, and biological properties for enhanced performance.
- Mimicking the natural extracellular matrix (ECM) is crucial for optimizing biological responses in tissue regeneration.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of cell-laid ECM in influencing biological responses on 3D printed scaffolds.
- To create a natural ECM analogue on hydroxyapatite (HA) scaffolds using mineralized osteoblast ECM.
- To evaluate the impact of decellularized ECM (dECM) on osteoblast growth and functionality.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of 3D printed and sintered hydroxyapatite (HA) scaffolds.
- Culturing osteoblasts on HA scaffolds to allow ECM deposition and mineralization.
- Decellularization of the mineralized ECM using freeze-thaw cycles to create dECM-ornamented scaffolds.
- Seeding osteoblasts onto dECM-ornamented HA scaffolds and evaluating cell growth and protein expression.
Main Results:
- dECM-ornamented HA scaffolds supported 3D osteoblast growth with enhanced expression of actin and vinculin.
- The dECM coating created an optimized microenvironment promoting cell-cell and cell-scaffold interactions.
- This approach facilitated constructive tissue remodeling and formation of functional tissue.
- The study demonstrated potential for treating segmental bone defects using these advanced scaffolds.
Conclusions:
- Hydroxyapatite scaffolds decorated with decellularized extracellular matrix provide a superior microenvironment for 3D tissue growth.
- This biomimetic approach enhances biological functionality and promotes constructive tissue remodeling.
- 3D printed HA scaffolds with dECM show significant promise for treating bone defects.
