Biodegradable 3D Printed Scaffolds of Modified Poly(trimethylene carbonate) Composite Materials with Poly(L-lactic acid) and Hydroxyapatite for Bone Regeneration

The biodegradable scaffolds based on biomedical polymeric materials have attracted the wide interest in bone transplantation for clinical treatment to bone defects without the second operation. The composite materials of poly(trimethylene carbonate), poly(L-lactic acid) and hydroxyapatite (PTMC/PLA/HA) were prepared by the modification and blending of poly(trimethylene carbonate) (PTMC) with poly(L-lactic acid) (PLA) and hydroxyapatite nanoparticles (HA). The PTMC/PLA/HA scaffolds were further prepared by additive manufacturing using the biological 3D printing method. The PTMC/PLA/HA composite materials and scaffolds were also characterized by fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), GPC, automatic contact-angle, SEM, XRD, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetry (TG). Subsequently, their properties, such as the mechanic, biodegradation, drug controlled release, cell cytotoxicity, cell compatibility in vitro and proliferation/differentiation assay in vivo, were also investigated. Experiment results indicated that PTMC/PLA/HA scaffolds possessed the low toxicity, good biodegradability and good biocompatibility and then improved the cell proliferation of osteoblast cells (MC3T3-E1). Moreover, PTMC/PLA/HA enhanced the adhesion and proliferation of MC3T3-E1 cells, allowing penetration of host cells within the construct boundaries, and then can enable the growing of bone cells and induction of bone tissue regeneration. Therefore, PTMC/PLA/HA composite materials can be used as the potential biodegradable scaffolds for bone regeneration and tissue engineering in vivo.