Characterization of mechanical and biological properties of 3-D scaffolds reinforced with zinc oxide for bone tissue engineering.
A scaffold for bone tissue engineering should have highly interconnected porous structure, appropriate mechanical and biological properties. In this work, we fabricated well-interconnected porous β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) scaffolds via selective laser sintering (SLS). We found that the mechanical and biological properties of the scaffolds were improved by doping of zinc oxide (ZnO). Our data showed that the fracture toughness increased from 1.09 to 1.40 MPam(1/2), and the compressive strength increased from 3.01 to 17.89 MPa when the content of ZnO increased from 0 to 2.5 wt%. It is hypothesized that the increase of ZnO would lead to a reduction in grain size and an increase in density of the strut. However, the fracture toughness and compressive strength decreased with further increasing of ZnO content, which may be due to the sharp increase in grain size. The biocompatibility of the scaffolds was investigated by analyzing the adhesion and the morphology of human osteoblast-like MG-63 cells cultured on the surfaces of the scaffolds. The scaffolds exhibited better and better ability to support cell attachment and proliferation when the content of ZnO increased from 0 to 2.5 wt%. Moreover, a bone like apatite layer formed on the surfaces of the scaffolds after incubation in simulated body fluid (SBF), indicating an ability of osteoinduction and osteoconduction. In summary, interconnected porous β-TCP scaffolds doped with ZnO were successfully fabricated and revealed good mechanical and biological properties, which may be used for bone repair and replacement potentially.
State Key Laboratory of High Performance Complex Manufacturing, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan Province, P. R. China.
Pei
P
Feng
Cancer Research Institute, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan Province, P. R. China.
Pingpin
P
Wei
State Key Laboratory of High Performance Complex Manufacturing, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan Province, P. R. China ; Department of Regenerative Medicine & Cell Biology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, United States of America.
Cijun
C
Shuai
Cancer Research Institute, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan Province, P. R. China ; Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, United States of America.
Shuping
S
Peng
D018786:Bone Substitutes / Q000737:chemistry*; D002460:Cell Line; D006801:Humans; D008422:Materials Testing; D010006:Osteoblasts / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D023822:Tissue Engineering; D054457:Tissue Scaffolds / Q000737:chemistry*; D015034:Zinc Oxide / Q000737:chemistry*
D018786:Bone Substitutes; D015034:Zinc Oxide