Preparation and characterisation of plga-coated porous bioactive glass-ceramic scaffolds for subchondral bone tissue engineering

Abstract

The present work involved the development of a poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA)-coated, porous 58S bioactive glass-ceramic scaffold for the bone-forming layer of a future bilayered scaffold for osteochondral tissue engineering. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), mechanical testing and preliminary cell culture investigations were performed to determine the suitability of the scaffold for the subchondral bone tissue engineering application. The bioactive-glass ceramic scaffolds possessed excellent pore interconnectivity. Mechanical testing of the PLGA-coated bioactive glass-ceramic scaffolds demonstrated a compressive strength of 0.25±0.05 MPa. The capacity of the bioactive glass-ceramic scaffold to proliferate human bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) was also assessed through in vitro culturing. SEM morphology investigations revealed that the BMSCs had a relatively high affinity for the PLGA-coated bioactive glass-ceramic scaffold and significant attachment and proliferation towards confluence occurred over a 21 day period.