Alkaline etching assisted polydopamine coating for enhanced cell-material interactions on 3D printed polylactic acid...

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Tissue Engineering
• Surface Chemistry

Background:

• Implant surface properties critically influence bone scaffold success.
• Surface modification of polyesters like polylactic acid (PLA) can improve biocompatibility and osteogenic potential.
• Enhancing cell-material interactions is key for effective bone regeneration scaffolds.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the synergistic effect of alkaline hydrolysis and polydopamine (PDA) functionalization on 3D printed PLA scaffolds.
• To enhance cell-material interactions and osteogenic functionalities of PLA scaffolds.
• To improve the biocompatibility and tissue response of PLA-based bone scaffolds.

Main Methods:

• Two-step surface modification of 3D printed PLA scaffolds: alkaline hydrolysis followed by PDA functionalization.
• Comprehensive characterization of modified scaffolds using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and morphological analysis.
• In vitro assessment of human osteoblast (HOS) attachment, proliferation, and UMR-106 cell osteogenic differentiation.

Main Results:

• Dual surface modification significantly improved physical, chemical, and cell-material interaction properties of PLA scaffolds.
• XPS confirmed homogeneous PDA deposition on etched PLA, showing an ~8.2% increase in surface nitrogen.
• Enhanced osteoblast attachment, proliferation, spreading, and mineralization were observed on modified PLA scaffolds (Et-PLA and Et-PLAPDA).

Conclusions:

• Alkali etching-mediated PDA deposition is a viable strategy to enhance the osteogenic potential of PLA scaffolds.
• Surface modification of PLA scaffolds can effectively regulate cell adhesion and promote bone mineralization.
• This approach offers insights for designing advanced bone scaffolds with improved osteogenic capabilities.