Development of 3D-Printed Polycaprolactone-Hardystonite Composite Scaffolds for Bone Tissue Engineering Applications

Abstract

Three-dimensional (3D) printing technology is developing due to its ability to fabricate customized scaffolds associated with the geometry of bone defect sites based on medical imaging. Polycaprolactone (PCL)-ceramic composite biomaterials are appropriate choices because of their higher mechanical properties, bioactivity, and biocompatibility as a scaffold for bone defect sites. In the current study, the hardystonite (HT) bioceramic powder was synthesized by the sol-gel method and 3D-printed PCL-HT scaffolds (containing 0%, 10%, 20%, and 30% HT) were developed through the fused deposition modeling (FDM) 3D printing method. The morphology, mechanical strength, degradability, bioactivity, wettability, and biocompatibility of 3D-printed scaffolds were investigated. Contact angle measurements indicated that increasing the HT content enhanced the hydrophilicity of the composite scaffolds. Based on the compressive strength test results, the composite scaffold containing 20% HT exhibited the highest compressive strength (19.3 ± 2.5 MPa) and elastic modulus (76.9 ± 4.9 MPa). Additionally, it was found that composite scaffolds demonstrated a better apatite-forming ability and a higher degradation rate compared to pure PCL scaffolds. In accordance with the biocompatibility results, HT particles enhanced the viability and attachment of MG63 cells, so that cell viability reached up to 95% after one day of culture for the PCL-HT 20% scaffold. Based on the results, a 3D-printed PCL scaffold containing 20 wt% HT would be an appropriate option for bone tissue engineering applications.

Graphical Abstract