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Published on: September 11, 2015
The Characteristics of Mineral Trioxide Aggregate/Polycaprolactone 3-dimensional Scaffold with Osteogenesis
Yung-Cheng Chiu1, Hsin-Yuan Fang2, Tuan-Ti Hsu3
1School of Medicine, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung City, Taiwan; Department of Orthopedics, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung City, Taiwan.
Introduction:
The aim of this study was to investigate whether the mineral trioxide aggregate/polycaprolactone (MTA/PCL) hybrid 3-dimensional (3D) scaffold supplies a suitable microenvironment for the osteogenic differentiation of human dental pulp cells (hDPCs) and to further consider the effect of the MTA/PCL composite on the biological performance of hybrid scaffolds.
Methods:
MTA was suspended in absolute alcohol and dropped slowly into PCL that was generated with the printable MTA-matrix. Then, the MTA/PCL composite was prepared into highly uniform scaffolds with controlled macropore sizes and structure using a 3D printing technique. Mechanical properties and the apatite precipitation of the scaffolds were evaluated as well as the cell response to the scaffolds by culturing hDPCs.
Results:
The results showed that the MTA/PCL 3D scaffold had uniform, 450-μm, high-porosity (70%) macropores and a compressive strength of 4.5 MPa. In addition, the MTA/PCL scaffold could effectively promote the adhesion, proliferation, and differentiation of hDPCs.
Conclusions:
The 3D-printed MTA/PCL scaffolds not only exhibited excellent physical and chemical properties but also enhanced osteogenesis differentiation. All of the results support the premise that this MTA/PCL porous scaffold would be a useful biomaterial for application in bone tissue engineering.
