A 3D-printed PLA honeycomb-shaped scaffolds for bone tissue engineering

Objectives: Polylactic acid (PLA) is widely used as biomedical material due to its good biocompatibility and biodegradability. A PLA honeycomb-shaped porous scaffold as bone graft substitute was printed by 3D-printed. Method:Coating and mineralization treatment was used in order to further improve the properties of the PLA scaffold. The materials were characterized by infrared spectroscopy (IR) and Xray diffraction (XRD). The structure of the scaffolds was observed by electric scanning microscope (SEM). The hydrophilicity of the material was observed by contact angle tester. Compression tests were carried out to evaluate the strength of the scaffolds. The biocompatibility of the scaffolds was evaluated by MTT. The behaviors and responses of preosteoblast cells on the scaffolds were studied as well. Results: The porosity of the 3D-printed PLA scaffold was 82.6%. The compressive strength and compressive modulus value of the PLA scaffolds was 8.22 ± 0.16 MPa and 244.3 ± 5.7 MPa, respectively. Coating and mineralization treatment could improved the hydrophilicity, strength and the biocompatibility of the scaffold. Conclusions: The 3D-printed PLA porous scaffold has a good prospect for application as artificial scaffold for bone tissue engineering.