Combined Porogen Leaching and Emulsion Templating to produce Bone Tissue Engineering Scaffolds
Robert Owen1,2,3, Colin Sherborne2, Richard Evans4
1Department of Materials Science and Engineering, INSIGNEO Institute for in silico Medicine, University of Sheffield, UK.
International Journal of Bioprinting
|August 13, 2020
Summary
This study introduces a simple, low-cost method to create bone tissue engineering scaffolds with multiscale porosity. Incorporating alginate beads into high internal phase emulsion (HIPE) templating enhances cell infiltration and matrix deposition.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Science
- Tissue Engineering
- Polymer Chemistry
Background:
- Bone tissue engineering scaffolds often lack hierarchical porosity, limiting cellular infiltration and function.
- High internal phase emulsion (HIPE) templating produces polyHIPEs with interconnected microporosity (1-100 μm).
- Current methods to introduce macroporosity are expensive and time-consuming.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the feasibility of combining porogen leaching with HIPE templating to create scaffolds with multiscale porosity.
- To develop a cost-effective and simple method for producing advanced tissue engineering scaffolds.
Main Methods:
- Alginate beads (275-780 μm) were incorporated into HIPE formulations at varying weight percentages (0, 50, 100 wt%).
- Polymerization of the emulsion formed polyHIPEs with embedded alginate.
- Alginate porogens were leached, leaving macropores within the microporous polyHIPE structure.
Main Results:
- Scaffolds with multiscale porosity were successfully fabricated.
- Increased alginate content led to a decrease in compressive modulus.
- Porogen-leached scaffolds exhibited significantly higher MLO-A5 post-osteoblast seeding efficiency and more uniform mineralized matrix deposition.
- Histology and lightsheet microscopy confirmed deep cell infiltration in scaffolds with added macroporosity.
Conclusions:
- Combining porogen leaching with HIPE templating is a quick, low-cost method to produce multiscale porosity scaffolds.
- This approach significantly enhances cellular performance, including seeding efficiency, matrix deposition, and deep cell infiltration.
- The developed scaffolds show great promise for bone tissue engineering applications.
