Development of a novel poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) based composite scaffold for bone tissue engineering

Abstract

The objective of this research was to synthesize and evaluate novel three dimensional scaffolds composed of poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA)/layered double hydroxide (LDH) composite microspheres for potential bone substitute applications. The mechanical properties of the scaffolds were found to be modulated by the sintering conditions, such as sintering temperature and sintering time, and by the PLGA/LDH ratio. After optimization, the newly developed PLGA/LDH (4:1) scaffold sintered at 90 °C for 2 h exhibited the highest mechanical properties; they were higher than those of the pure polymeric scaffold and also had a desirable pore structure for bone tissue engineering applications. The preliminary examination using L929 cells carried out and no signs of cytotoxicity were observed. The culture of G-292 cells on the optimized samples via the MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) tetrazolium reduction assay method demonstrated increased cell proliferation compared with the pure PLGA scaffolds and the control group (a cell culture plate). Additionally, when the cells were cultured on the composite scaffolds, the osteoblasts had significantly increased alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity relative to those on the pure PLGA scaffolds and the control group. Thus, the obtained results indicated that the PLGA/LDH microsphere-sintered scaffolds deserve attention for bone tissue engineering applications.

Keywords:

• Poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) microspheres
• layered double hydroxide
• bone tissue scaffolds
• microsphere sintering

Compliance with ethical standards

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Ethical statement

This article does not contain any studies with animals performed by any of the authors.