†State Key Laboratory of High Performance Ceramics and Superfine Microstructure, Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200050, PR China.
‡Center for Translational Bone, Joint and Soft Tissue Research, Medical Faculty and University Hospital, Technische Universität Dresden, 01069 Dresden, Germany.
ACS Appl Mater Interfaces. 2015 Apr 1;7(12):6541-9. doi: 10.1021/am508469h. Epub 2015 Mar 19.
Composite scaffolds, especially polymer/hydroxyapatite (HAP) composite scaffolds with predesigned structures, are promising materials for bone tissue engineering. Various methods including direct mixing of HAP powder with polymers or incubating polymer scaffolds in simulated body fluid for preparing polymer/HAP composite scaffolds are either uncontrolled or require long times of incubation. In this work, alginate/nano-HAP composite scaffolds with designed pore parameters and core/shell structures were fabricated using 3D plotting technique and in situ mineralization under mild conditions (at room temperature and without the use of any organic solvents). Light microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, microcomputer tomography, X-ray diffraction, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy were applied to characterize the fabricated scaffolds. Mechanical properties and protein delivery of the scaffolds were evaluated, as well as the cell response to the scaffolds by culturing human bone-marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hBMSC). The obtained data indicate that this method is suitable to fabricate alginate/nano-HAP composite scaffolds with a layer of nano-HAP, coating the surface of the alginate strands homogeneously and completely. The surface mineralization enhanced the mechanical properties and improved the cell attachment and spreading, as well as supported sustaining protein release, compared to pure alginate scaffolds without nano-HAP shell layer. The results demonstrated that the method provides an interesting option for bone tissue engineering application.
复合支架，特别是具有预定结构的聚合物/羟基磷灰石（HAP）复合支架，是骨组织工程的有前途的材料。各种方法，包括将 HAP 粉末与聚合物直接混合或在模拟体液中孵育聚合物支架以制备聚合物/HAP 复合支架，要么不受控制，要么需要长时间的孵育。在这项工作中，使用 3D 绘图技术和温和条件下的原位矿化（在室温下且不使用任何有机溶剂）制备了具有设计的孔参数和核/壳结构的藻酸盐/纳米 HAP 复合支架。应用显微镜、扫描电子显微镜、微计算机断层扫描、X 射线衍射和傅里叶变换红外光谱对制备的支架进行了表征。评估了支架的机械性能和蛋白质传递性能，以及通过培养人骨髓间充质干细胞（hBMSC）对支架的细胞反应。获得的数据表明，该方法适用于制备具有一层纳米 HAP 的藻酸盐/纳米 HAP 复合支架，纳米 HAP 均匀且完全地覆盖在藻酸盐链的表面。与没有纳米 HAP 壳层的纯藻酸盐支架相比，表面矿化增强了机械性能，改善了细胞附着和扩展，并支持持续的蛋白质释放。结果表明，该方法为骨组织工程应用提供了一个有趣的选择。
