title: Material characterization of microsphere-based scaffolds with encapsulated raw materials.
abstract: "Raw materials," or materials capable of serving both as building blocks and as signals, which are often but not always natural materials, are taking center stage in biomaterials for contemporary regenerative medicine. In osteochondral tissue engineering, a field leveraging the underlying bone to facilitate cartilage regeneration, common raw materials include chondroitin sulfate (CS) for cartilage and β-tricalcium phosphate (TCP) for bone. Building on our previous work with gradient scaffolds based on microspheres, here we delved deeper into the characterization of individual components. In the current study, the release of CS and TCP from poly(D, L-lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) microsphere-based scaffolds was evaluated over a time period of 4 weeks. Raw material encapsulated groups were compared to 'blank' groups and evaluated for surface topology, molecular weight, and mechanical performance as a function of time. The CS group may have led to increased surface porosity, and the addition of CS improved the mechanical performance of the scaffold. The finding that CS was completely released into the surrounding media by 4 weeks has a significant impact on future in vivo studies, given rapid bioavailability. The addition of TCP seemed to contribute to the rough external appearance of the scaffold. The current study provides an introduction to degradation patterns of homogenous raw material encapsulated scaffolds, providing characterization data to advance the field of microsphere-based scaffolds in tissue engineering.
authors.affiliation: Bioengineering Program, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA.
authors.forename: BanuPriya
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Sridharan
authors.affiliation: Division of Tissue Engineering and Regeneration Technologies, Biomedical Technology Wing, Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology, Trivandrum, Kerala, India.
authors.forename: Neethu
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Mohan
authors.affiliation: Bioengineering Program, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA; Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA; Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA.
authors.forename: Cory J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Berkland
authors.affiliation: Bioengineering Program, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA; Department of Chemical and Petroleum Engineering, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS, USA. Electronic address: detamore@ku.edu.
authors.forename: Michael S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Detamore
mesh_terms: D002130:Calcium Phosphates / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D002809:Chondroitin Sulfates / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism; D055119:Elastic Modulus; D019344:Lactic Acid / Q000737:chemistry; D008422:Materials Testing; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D008863:Microspheres; D008970:Molecular Weight; D011100:Polyglycolic Acid / Q000737:chemistry; D000077182:Polylactic Acid-Polyglycolic Acid Copolymer; D016062:Porosity; D013499:Surface Properties; D013718:Tensile Strength; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D002130:Calcium Phosphates; C485817:beta-tricalcium phosphate; D000077182:Polylactic Acid-Polyglycolic Acid Copolymer; D011100:Polyglycolic Acid; D019344:Lactic Acid; D002809:Chondroitin Sulfates
keywords: Degradation; Osteochondral; PLGA; Raw materials