title: Effect of pore architecture and stacking direction on mechanical properties of solid freeform fabrication-based scaffold for bone tissue engineering.
abstract: Fabrication of a three-dimensional (3D) scaffold with increased mechanical strength may be an essential requirement for more advanced bone tissue engineering scaffolds. Various material- and chemical-based approaches have been explored to enhance the mechanical properties of engineered bone tissue scaffolds. In this study, the effects of pore architecture and stacking direction on the mechanical and cell proliferation properties of a scaffold were investigated. The 3D scaffold was prepared using solid freeform fabrication technology with a multihead deposition system. Various types of scaffolds with different pore architectures (lattice, stagger, and triangle types) and stacking directions (horizontal and vertical directions) were fabricated with a blend of polycaprolactone and poly lactic-co-glycolic acid. In compression tests, the triangle-type scaffold was the strongest among the experimental groups. Stacking direction affected the mechanical properties of scaffolds. An in vitro cell counting kit-8 assay showed no significant differences in optical density depending on the different pore architectures and stacking directions. In conclusion, mechanical properties of scaffolds can be enhanced by controlling pore architecture and stacking direction.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Pohang, Gyungbuk, Korea.
authors.forename: Jung-Seob
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Hwang Do
authors.initials: HD
authors.lastname: Cha
authors.forename: Jin-Hyung
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Shim
authors.forename: Jin Woo
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Jung
authors.forename: Jong Young
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Dong-Woo
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Cho
mesh_terms: D016475:3T3 Cells; D000818:Animals; D001842:Bone and Bones; D002448:Cell Adhesion; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D051379:Mice; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D023822:Tissue Engineering; D054457:Tissue Scaffolds