title: Growth factors delivery from hybrid PCL-starch scaffolds processed using supercritical fluid technology.
abstract: Synthetic polymeric scaffolds to be used as surrogates of autologous bone grafts should not only have suitable physicochemical and mechanical properties, but also contain bioactive agents such as growth factors (GFs) to facilitate the tissue growth. For this purpose, cost-effective and autologous GFs sources are preferred to avoid some post-surgery complications after implantation, like immunogenicity or disease transmission, and the scaffolds should be processed using methods able to preserve GFs activity. In this work, poly(ɛ-caprolactone) (PCL) scaffolds incorporating GFs were processed using a green foaming process based on supercritical fluid technology. Preparation rich in growth factors (PRGF), a natural and highly available cocktail of GFs obtained from platelet rich plasma (PRP), was used as GF source. PCL:starch:PRGF (85:10:5 weight ratio) porous solid scaffolds were obtained by a supercritical CO2-assisted foaming process at 100 bar and 37 °C with no need of post-processing steps. Bioactivity of GFs after processing and scaffold cytocompatibility were confirmed using mesenchymal stem cells. The performance of starch as GF control release component was shown to be dependent on starch pre-gelification conditions.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Farmacia y Tecnología Farmacéutica, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, E-15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
authors.forename: Luis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Diaz-Gomez
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Farmacia y Tecnología Farmacéutica, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, E-15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
authors.forename: Angel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Concheiro
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Farmacia y Tecnología Farmacéutica, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, E-15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain. Electronic address: carmen.alvarez.lorenzo@usc.es.
authors.forename: Carmen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Alvarez-Lorenzo
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Farmacia y Tecnología Farmacéutica, Facultad de Farmacia, Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, E-15782 Santiago de Compostela, Spain. Electronic address: carlos.garcia@usc.es.
authors.forename: Carlos A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: García-González
mesh_terms: D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000737:chemistry; D002448:Cell Adhesion; D002460:Cell Line; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems / Q000379:methods*; D055772:Green Chemistry Technology; D006801:Humans; D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000494:pharmacology; D059630:Mesenchymal Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects; D011091:Polyesters / Q000737:chemistry*; D016062:Porosity; D013213:Starch / Q000737:chemistry*; D054457:Tissue Scaffolds / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D036341:Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins; D011091:Polyesters; D002245:Carbon Dioxide; C016240:polycaprolactone; D013213:Starch
keywords: Growth factor release; Polymeric scaffold; Preparation rich in growth factors; Regenerative medicine; Starch; Supercritical fluids