Composite PLA/PEG/nHA/Dexamethasone Scaffold Prepared by 3D Printing for Bone Regeneration

• Published in: Macromolecular bioscience 2018-06, Vol.18 (6), p.e1800068-n/a
• Main Authors: Li, Xiaoyuan, Wang, Yu, Wang, Zigui, Qi, Yanxin, Li, Linlong, Zhang, Peibiao, Chen, Xuesi, Huang, Yubin
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 3-D printers; 3D printing; Alkaline phosphatase; Animals; Biocompatibility; Biodegradability; Biodegradation; Biomedical materials; Bone growth; Bone Regeneration; Bone Substitutes - chemistry; Bone Substitutes - pharmacology; bone tissue engineering; Cell proliferation; Chemical precipitation; Composite materials; Contact angle; Crystal defects; degradable polymer; Dexamethasone; Dexamethasone - chemistry; Dexamethasone - pharmacology; Durapatite - chemistry; Fabrication; Hydroxyapatite; In vivo methods and tests; Interleukins; Lipopolysaccharides; Macrophages; Mechanical tests; Mice; Mineralization; nano hydroxyapatite; Nitric oxide; Nitric-oxide synthase; Organic chemistry; Polyesters - chemistry; Polyethylene glycol; Polyethylene Glycols - chemistry; Polylactic acid; Printing, Three-Dimensional; Rapid manufacturing; Rats; RAW 264.7 Cells; Regeneration; Regeneration (physiology); Scaffolds; Surgical implants; Therapeutic applications; Three dimensional printing; Tissue engineering; Tissue Scaffolds - chemistry; Ultrasonic testing; Wettability
• ISSN: 1616-5187; 1616-5195
• DOI: 10.1002/mabi.201800068

3D printing has become an essential part of bone tissue engineering and attracts great attention for the fabrication of bioactive scaffolds. Combining this rapid manufacturing technique with chemical precipitation, biodegradable 3D scaffold composed of polymer matrix (polylactic acid and polyethylene glycol), ceramics (nano hydroxyapatite), and drugs (dexamethasone (Dex)) is prepared. Results of water contact angle, differential scanning calorimeter, and mechanical tests confirm that incorporation of Dex leads to significantly improved wettability, higher crystallinity degree, and tunable degradation rates. In vitro experiment with mouse MC3T3‐E1 cells implies that Dex released from scaffolds is not beneficial for early cell proliferation, but it improves late alkaline phosphatase secretion and mineralization significantly. Anti‐inflammation assay of murine RAW 264.7 cells proves that Dex released from all the scaffolds successfully suppresses lipopolysaccharide induced interleukin‐6 and inducible nitric oxide synthase secretion by M1 macrophages. Further in vivo experiment on rat calvarial defects indicates that scaffolds containing Dex promote osteoinduction and osteogenic response and would be promising candidates for clinical applications. Rapid fabrication technique fused deposition modeling is combined with chemical precipitation and extrusion technique to prepare composite polylactic acid/polyethylene glycol/nano hydroxyapatite/dexamethasone scaffold for application in bone regeneration. Anti‐inflammatory and immunosuppressive of dexamethasone is well preserved in the composite scaffold. This multifunctional 3D printing scaffold would be promising candidate for further clinical applications.