Fabrication and Evaluation of PCL/PLGA/β-TCP Spiral-Structured Scaffolds for Bone Tissue Engineering

Natural bone is a complex material that has been carefully designed. To prepare a successful bone substitute, two challenging conditions need to be met: biocompatible and bioactive materials for cell proliferation and differentiation, and appropriate mechanical stability after implantation. Therefore, a hybrid Poly epsilon-caprolactone/Poly(lactic-co-glycolide)/beta-tricalcium phosphate (PCL/PLGA/beta-TCP) scaffold has been introduced as a suitable composition that satisfies the above two conditions. The blended PCL and PLGA can improve the scaffold's mechanical properties and biocompatibility compared to single PCL or PLGA scaffolds. In addition, the incorporated beta-TCP increases the mechanical strength and osteogenic potential of PCL/PLGA scaffolds, while the polymer improves the mechanical stability of ceramic scaffolds. The PCL/PLGA/beta-TCP scaffold is designed using spiral structures to provide a much better transport system through the gaps between spiral walls than conventional cylindrical scaffolds. Human fetal osteoblasts (hFOBs) were cultured on spiral PCL/PLGA/beta-TCP (PPBS), cylindrical PCL/PLGA/beta-TCP (PPBC), and cylindrical PCL scaffolds for a total of 28 days. The cell proliferation, viability, and osteogenic differentiation capabilities were analyzed. Compared with PCL and PPBC scaffolds, the PPBS scaffold exhibits great biocompatibility and potential to stimulate cell proliferation and differentiation and, therefore, can serve as a bone substitute for bone tissue regeneration.