Mechanical properties and drug release behavior of PCL/zein coated 45S5 bioactive glass scaffolds for bone tissue engineering application.

This article presents data related to the research article entitled "The effect of coating type on mechanical properties and controlled drug release of PCL/zein coated 45S5 bioactive glass scaffolds for bone tissue engineering" [1]. We provide data on mechanical properties, in vitro bioactivity and drug release of bioactive glass (BG) scaffolds coated by poly (ε-caprolactone) (PCL) and zein used as a controlled release device for tetracycline hydrochloride (TCH). By coating the BG scaffolds with PCL or PCL/zein blend the mechanical properties of the scaffolds were substantially improved, i.e., the compressive strength increased from 0.004±0.001 MPa (uncoated BG scaffolds) to 0.15±0.02 MPa (PCL/zein coated BG scaffolds). A dense bone-like apatite layer formed on the surface of PCL/zein coated scaffolds immersed for 14 days in simulated body fluid (SBF). The data describe control of drug release and in vitro degradation behavior of coating by engineering the concentration of zein. Thus, the developed scaffolds exhibit attractive properties for application in bone tissue engineering research

Osteochondral tissue engineering: scaffolds, stem cells and applications.

Osteochondral tissue engineering has shown an increasing development to provide suitable strategies for the regeneration of damaged cartilage and underlying subchondral bone tissue. For reasons of the limitation in the capacity of articular cartilage to self-repair, it is essential to develop approaches based on suitable scaffolds made of appropriate engineered biomaterials. The combination of biodegradable polymers and bioactive ceramics in a variety of composite structures is promising in this area, whereby the fabrication methods, associated cells and signalling factors determine the success of the strategies. The objective of this review is to present and discuss approaches being proposed in osteochondral tissue engineering, which are focused on the application of various materials forming bilayered composite scaffolds, including polymers and ceramics, discussing the variety of scaffold designs and fabrication methods being developed. Additionally, cell sources and biological protein incorporation methods are discussed, addressing their interaction with scaffolds and highlighting the potential for creating a new generation of bilayered composite scaffolds that can mimic the native interfacial tissue properties, and are able to adapt to the biological environment

Adipose- and bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells display different osteogenic differentiation patterns in 3D bioactive glass-based scaffolds

Mesenchymal stem cells can be isolated from a variety of different sources, each having their own peculiar merits and drawbacks. Although a number of studies have been conducted comparing these stem cells for their osteo-differentiation ability, these are mostly done in culture plastics. We have selected stem cells from either adipose tissue (ADSCs) or bone marrow (BMSCs) and studied their differentiation ability in highly porous three-dimensional (3D) 45S5 Bioglass®-based scaffolds. Equal numbers of cells were seeded onto 5 × 5 × 4 mm3 scaffolds and cultured in vitro, with or without osteo-induction medium. After 2 and 4 weeks, the cell–scaffold constructs were analysed for cell number, cell spreading, viability, alkaline phosphatase activity and osteogenic gene expression. The scaffolds with ADSCs displayed osteo-differentiation even without osteo-induction medium; however, with osteo-induction medium osteogenic differentiation was further increased. In contrast, the scaffolds with BMSCs showed no osteo-differentiation without osteo-induction medium; after application of osteo-induction medium, osteo-differentiation was confirmed, although lower than in scaffolds with ADSCs. In general, stem cells in 3D bioactive glass scaffolds differentiated better than cells in culture plastics with respect to their ALP content and osteogenic gene expression. In summary, 45S5 Bioglass-based scaffolds seeded with ADSCs are well-suited for possible bone tissue-engineering applications. Induction of osteogenic differentiation appears unnecessary prior to implantation in this specific setting

Current advances in solid free-form techniques for osteochondral tissue engineering

Osteochondral (OC) lesions are characterized by defects in two different zones, the cartilage region and subchondral bone region. These lesions are frequently associated with mechanical instability, as well as osteoarthritic degenerative changes in the knee. The lack of spontaneous healing and the drawbacks of the current treatments has increased the attention from the scientific community to this issue. Different tissue engineering approaches have been attempted using different polymers and different scaffolds' processing. However, the current conventional techniques do not allow the full control over scaffold fabrication, and in this type of approaches, the tuning ability is the key to success in tissue regeneration. In this sense, the researchers have placed their efforts in the development of solid free-form (SFF) techniques. These techniques allow tuning different properties at the micro-macro scale, creating scaffolds with appropriate features for OC tissue engineering. In this review, it is discussed the current SFF techniques used in OC tissue engineering and presented their promising results and current challenges.The authors would like to thank H2020-MSCA-RISE program, as this work is part of developments carried out in BAMOS project, funded from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement Nº 734156. The Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) distinctions attributed to J. Silva-Correia (IF/00115/2015) and J. Miguel Oliveira (IF/01285/2015) under the Investigator FCT program are greatly acknowledged. FCT/MCTES is also acknowledged for the PhD scholarship attributed to J. B. Costa (PD/BD/113803/2015).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The use of PLDLA/PCL-T scaffold to repair osteochondral defects in vivo

The physiological repair of osteochondral lesions requires the development of a scaffold that is compatible with the structure of the damaged tissue, cartilage and bone. The aim of this study was to evaluate the biological performance of a PLDLA/PCL-T (90/10) scaffold for repairing osteochondral defects in rabbits. Polymeric scaffolds containing saccharose (75% w/v) were obtained by solvent casting and then implanted in the medial knee condyles of 12 New Zealand rabbits after osteochondral damage with a trephine metallic drill (diameter: 3.3 mm) in both medial femoral condyles. Each rabbit received the same treatment, i.e., the polymeric scaffold was implanted on the right side while no material was implanted on the left side (control). Four and 12 weeks later histological examination revealed bone neoformation in the implant group, with the presence of hyaline cartilage and mesenchymal tissue. In contrast, the control group showed bone neoformation with necrosis, exacerbated superficial fibrosis, inflammation and cracks in the neoformed tissue. These findings indicate that the PLDLA/PCL-T scaffold was biocompatible and protected the condyles by stabilizing the lesion and allowing subchondral bone tissue and hyaline cartilage formation