Fabrication and characterization of polymer-infiltrated glass ceramic-titania scaffold for bone substitution

ABSTRACT

Scaffolds for bone tissue engineering should be designed with adequate porosity, mechanical properties and biocompatibility. In the present investigation, the titania (TiO₂) containing glass-ceramic (GC) powder was used to fabricate porous scaffold. GC powder was prepared through sol-gel method. Scaffolds were prepared by sponge replication method. Scaffolds were further strengthened by coating with alginate, gelatin and chitosan polymers in a separate experiment. The mechanical strength and modulus of the scaffold were enhanced by TiO₂ addition as well as by coating with polymers. The coated scaffolds showed porosity in the range 73 to 76%, with a pore size of 150 to 550 µm and compressive strength in the range 2.5 to 6 MPa. In-vitro bioactivity and biodegradation were studied. Biocompatibility was evaluated by cell attachment, proliferation, and alkaline phosphatase activity. Biocompatibility studies demonstrated that the polymer coated scaffolds facilitated attachment and proliferation of MG-63 cells. The polymer coated TiO₂-GC scaffolds are prospective biomaterials for bone tissue engineering.

KEYWORDS:

• Glass-ceramics
• sponge replication
• porosity
• mechanical properties
• bone tissue engineering

Acknowledgments

This research was financially supported by National Institute of Technology, Rourkela, India. The authors would like to thank Prof. Indranil Banerjee and Mr. VS Sharan Ratnam, Department of Biotechnology and Medical Engineering, NIT Rourkela for their assistance.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.