Factors currently known to influence the properties of BTE scaffolds mainly include scaffold design (e.g., porosity and materials used) and scaffold fabrication methods.
Ideal BTE scaffolds must be osteoinductive (cause pluripotent cells to differentiate into osteoblasts), osteoconductive (support ingrowth of capillaries and cells to form bone), biocompatible, biodegradable, and exhibit appropriate mechanical strength and biological properties. Techniques determined to be favourable based on the properties investigated should undergo further studies related to biological properties and time-dependent properties beyond 21-days.īone tissue engineering (BTE) is a growing field of study focussed on producing scaffolds for implantation into bone defect sites. Among the four techniques examined, melt-blended materials were found to be the most favorable, specifically when considering the combination of printability, consistent mechanical properties, and efficient preparation. Study results indicate that specific techniques used to prepare materials influence the printing process and post-printing scaffold properties. While scaffolds printed from melt-blended, powder-blended, and solid solvent materials demonstrated a high degree of micro-porosity, the liquid solvent material preparation technique resulted in minimal micro-porosity. The higher degree of inhomogeneity in the material was further supported by thermal gravimetric analysis. Scaffolds prepared with powder-blended material demonstrated the highest Young’s modulus, yield strength, and modulus of resilience however, they also demonstrated the highest degree of variability. Material prepared through the liquid solvent technique was found to have limited printability, while melt-blended material demonstrated the highest degree of uniformity and lowest extent of swelling and degradation. The material printability and the properties of printed scaffolds, in terms of swelling/degradation, mechanical strength, morphology, and thermal properties, were examined and compared to one another using Kruskal-Wallis nonparametric statistical analysis. Polycaprolactone/nano-hydroxyapatite 30% (wt.) materials were synthesized through melt-blending, powder blending, liquid solvent, and solid solvent techniques. Methodsįour material preparation techniques were investigated to determine their influence on scaffold properties. To our knowledge, no studies have investigated variations in post-printing properties attributed to the techniques used to synthesize the materials for printing (e.g., melt-blending, powder blending, liquid solvent, and solid solvent).
Previous research has primarily focused on the effect of parameters associated with scaffold design (e.g., scaffold porosity) and specific scaffold printing processes (e.g., printing pressure). It is known that a number of parameters can influence the post-printing properties of bone tissue scaffolds.
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