Tuning pore features of mineralized collagen/PCL scaffolds for cranial bone regeneration in a rat model

In this study, a series of porous mineralized collagen/PCL scaffolds with different pore features were fabricated via freeze-drying and applied in a Sprague Dawley rat cranial bone calvarial defect model. The pore size for four groups increased from 10–45 μm to 40–130 μm. As scaffold porosity increased, the compressive strength decreased from 2.09 ± 0.12 MPa to 0.51 ± 0.04 MPa. The micro-computed tomography three-dimensional reconstruction images showed that as pore size and porosity increased, the amount of new bone formation had a maximum in group 3 (pore size: 20–100 μm, compressive strength: 1.06 ± 0.03 MPa). In addition, the histological and histomorphometric analyses showed a consistent tendency which confirmed the Micro-CT results. Meanwhile, histological findings including bony bridging, tissue response at the bone-implant interface and fibrous capsule thickness indicated that the dura mater pathway played the most important role in the regenerative process of this calvarial defect model.
Source: Materials Science and Engineering: C - Category: Materials Science Source Type: research