Fabrication and plasma treatment of 3D polycaprolactane tissue scaffolds for enhanced cellular function

Abstract

This paper reports a solid free-form fabrication (SFF) technology-based precision extrusion deposition (PED) process to manufacture three-dimensional (3D) polycaprolactane (PCL) scaffolds and their surface treatment with a plasma source for enhanced osteoblast cell adhesion and proliferation. The PED process allows us to manufacture tissue engineering scaffolds based on designed geometry with complete interconnectivity and controllable porosity. The as-fabricated PCL scaffolds have a pattern with a 0/90° strut configuration of 300 µm pore size and 250 µm strut width. In order to improve cellular activity on 3D PCL scaffolds, they were surface-treated with an oxygen-based plasma source. The surface hydrophilicity and total surface energy of PCL was increased with plasma treatment. Comparisons of different plasma treatment times, including 30 seconds, and 1, 2, 3, 5 and 7 minutes, were performed to identify the plasma treatment duration suggesting higher cellular adhesion and proliferation. The maximum value of total surface energy and its components (polar and dispersive) was observed in 3-min treated PCL scaffolds. In addition, the positive effect of plasma treatment was observed in stregth of cell adhesion, which was increased 55% on 3-min plasma-treated scaffolds compared to untreated and other plasma treatment duriations. Cell culture study over a 7-day period also showed that the cell number on 3-min treated scaffolds is 3-fold the number of cells on untreated scaffolds.