The in-vitro biological properties of 3D printed poly lactic acid/akermanite composite porous scaffold for bone tissue engineering

A degradable drug delivery system with a slow local release rate can be a promising method to modify tissue engineering scaffolds for bone remodeling. In this study poly lactic acid/akermanite composite scaffolds with different concentrations of akermanite were fabricated through fused deposition modeling (FDM) and coated with some gentamicin-loaded gelatin microspheres. The structural assessment of the scaffolds using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) presented interconnected pores with diameter of 200-400 mu m. Cell culture study represented that the increase in the amounts of akermanite led to an increase in proliferation, growth and viability of MG-63 cell line. Alizarin red assay indicated that the calcium deposition was significantly increased as the amount of akermanite was increased. The activity of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) was significantly increased over time in the scaffolds containing akermanite in comparison with the pure PLA scaffold, indicating the positive effect of akermanite on the activity of cells. Evaluating the release of gentamicin from gelatin microspheres cross-linked with different duration including 4, 8 and 12 h and soaked in simulated body fluid (SBF) indicated the increase in the drug release over time, although it was decreased for more cross-linking duration. Based on the results, the PLA/akermanite scaffolds can be an appropriate candidate for bone tissue engineering applications.

Automated summary

The study demonstrated that PLA/akermanite scaffolds have a positive impact on bone tissue engineering applications, enhancing cell proliferation, growth, and viability, as well as increasing calcium deposition. The release of gentamicin from gelatin microspheres increased over time with longer cross-linking duration. Overall, PLA/akermanite scaffolds are an ideal candidate for bone tissue engineering.