title: Preparation of polycaprolactone microspheres-aggregated scaffold with ultra big pores and fuzzy sphere surface by a one-step phase separation method.
abstract: A microspheres-aggregated scaffold with ultra big pores (over 300 μm) and fuzzy microspheres is fabricated by incubating polycaprolactone (PCL)/tetrahydrofuran (THF) solution in a -20°C refrigerator, following by freeze-drying. Formation of the scaffold is mainly governed by the crystallization of the PCL polymer at appropriate conditions. All the 10-20% PCL/THF solutions yield the microspheres-aggregated scaffolds when the initial solution temperature is higher than 37°C, whereas the 10-15% solutions form dense membranes when the initial solution temperature is below 25°C. The size of the microspheres and pores is as large as 70-150 μm and 170-816 μm, respectively. The PCL microspheres-aggregated scaffold can better support the adhesion and proliferation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) compared to the traditional porous scaffold obtained by a porogen leaching method. The tendencies of chondrogenesis and osteogenesis differentiation of BMSCs are observed on the microspheres-aggregated scaffold and the ordinary porous scaffold, respectively.
authors.affiliation: MOE Key Laboratory of Macromolecular Synthesis and Functionalization, Department of Polymer Science and Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China.
authors.forename: Meicong
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Lie
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Dan
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Pengfei
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.forename: Changyou
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gao
mesh_terms: D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D001854:Bone Marrow Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects; D048430:Cell Shape / Q000187:drug effects; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D006025:Glycosaminoglycans / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D059630:Mesenchymal Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology / Q000648:ultrastructure; D008863:Microspheres; D011091:Polyesters / Q000494:pharmacology*; D016062:Porosity; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D013194:Staining and Labeling; D013499:Surface Properties; D023822:Tissue Engineering / Q000379:methods*; D054457:Tissue Scaffolds / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D006025:Glycosaminoglycans; D011091:Polyesters; C016240:polycaprolactone; D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase
keywords: bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells; differentiation; microspheres-aggregated scaffold; phase separation; polycaprolactone