Fabrication Of Bioactive Tissue Engineering Scaffold For Reconstructing Calcified Cartilage Layer Based On Three-dimensional Printing Technique

ObjectiveTo fabricate organic-inorganic composite tissue engineering scaffolds for reconstructing calcified cartilage layer.The relationship between calcium magnesium silicate content and the compressive properties of the scaffolds was investigated systematically.MethodsThree-dimensional(3D)printing technique was used to build the scaffolds with highly bioactive calcium-magnesium silicate ultrafine particles of 1%,3%,and 5%of mass fraction,in which the organic phases were composed of type I collagen and sodium hyaluronate.The as-printed scaffolds were then crosslinked and solidified by alginate/CaCl2 aerosol.Scanning electron microscope(SEM)was used to observe the pore size and distribution of inorganic phase,universal material testing machine to test mechanical properties,and the porosity of scaffolds was also measured.ResultsPore size is approximately(212.3±34.2)?m with a porosity of(48.3±5.9)%,the compressive modulus of the scaffolds is(7.2±1.2)MPa on the average,which is irrelevant to the percentage changes of calcium-magnesium silicate,the compressive modulus is between that of cartilage and subchondral bone.ConclusionsThe porous scaffold featuring reconstruction of calcified cartilage layer was successfully fabricated for the first time,which would be used for future multi-layered composite scaffolds in osteochondral injury.