title: Fabrication of gelatin-strontium substituted calcium phosphate scaffolds with unidirectional pores for bone tissue engineering.
abstract: This study fabricated homogeneous gelatin-strontium substituted calcium phosphate composites via coprecipitation in a gelatin solution. Unidirectional porous scaffolds with an oriented microtubular structure were then manufactured using freeze-drying technology. The resulting structure and pore alignment were determined using scanning electron microscopy. The pore size were in the range of 200-400 μm, which is considered ideal for the engineering of bone tissue. The scaffolds were further characterized using energy dispersive spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction. Hydroxyapatite was the main calcium phosphate compound in the scaffolds, with strontium incorporated into the crystal structure. The porosity of the scaffolds decreased with increasing concentration of calcium-phosphate. The compressive strength in the longitudinal direction was two to threefold higher than that observed in the transverse direction. Our results demonstrate that the composite scaffolds degraded by approximately 20 % after 5 weeks. Additionally, in vitro results reveal that the addition of strontium significantly increased human osteoblastic cells proliferation. Scaffolds containing strontium with a Sr-CaP/(gelatin + Sr-CaP) ratio of 50 % provided the most suitable environment for cell proliferation, particularly under dynamic culture conditions. This study demonstrates the considerable potential of composite scaffolds composed of gelatin-strontium-substituted calcium phosphate for applications in bone tissue engineering.
authors.affiliation: National Laboratory Animal Center, National Applied Research Laboratories, Tainan, Taiwan.
authors.forename: Yu-Chun
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Wei-Yu
authors.initials: WY
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: Chyun-Yu
authors.initials: CY
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Tzer-Min
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D001846:Bone Development; D002130:Calcium Phosphates / Q000737:chemistry*; D002460:Cell Line; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D005780:Gelatin / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D017550:Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; D013324:Strontium / Q000737:chemistry*; D023822:Tissue Engineering; D054457:Tissue Scaffolds; D014961:X-Ray Diffraction
chemical_list: D002130:Calcium Phosphates; D005780:Gelatin; C020243:calcium phosphate; D013324:Strontium