Assessments for bone regeneration using the polycaprolactone SLUP (salt-leaching using powder) scaffold

Salt-leaching using powder (SLUP) scaffolds are novel salt-leaching scaffolds with well-interconnected pores that do not require an organic solvent or high pressure. In this study, in vitro and in vivo cell behaviors were assessed using a PCL (polycaprolactone) SLUP scaffold. Moreover, using PCL, conventional salt-leaching and 3D-plotted scaffolds were fabricated as control scaffolds. Morphology, mechanical property, water absorption, and in vitro/in vivo cell response assessments were performed to clarify the characteristics of the SLUP scaffold compared with control scaffolds. Consequently, we verified that the interconnectivity between the pores of the SLUP scaffold was enhanced compared with conventional salt-leaching scaffolds. Moreover, in vitro cell attachment and proliferation of the SLUP scaffold were higher than those of the 3D-plotted scaffold because of their morphological characteristic. Furthermore, we revealed that new bone formation and bone ingrowth of the SLUP scaffold was superior to those of the calvarial defect model and 3D-plotted scaffold because of the high porosity and improved interconnectivity of pores by the SLUP technique without high pressure using powders. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 105A: 3432-3444, 2017.