Polyphosphazene-polyester blends are attractive materials for bone tissue engineering applications due to their controllable degradation pattern with non-toxic and neutral pH degradation products. In our ongoing quest for an ideal completely miscible polyphosphazene-polyester blend system, we report synthesis and characterization of a mixed-substituent biodegradable polyphosphazene poly[(glycine ethyl glycinato)1(phenyl phenoxy)1phosphazene] (PNGEG/PhPh) and its blends with a polyester. Two dipeptide-based blends namely 25:75 (Matrix1) and 50:50 (Matrix2) were produced at two different weight ratios of PNGEG/PhPh to poly(lactic acid-glycolic acid) (PLAGA). Blend miscibility was confirmed by differential scanning calorimetry, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. Both blends resulted in higher tensile modulus and strength than the polyester. The blends showed a degradation rate in the order of Matrix2 < Matrix1 < PLAGA in phosphate buffered saline at 37°C over 12 weeks. Significantly higher pH values of degradation media were observed for blends compared to PLAGA confirming the neutralization of PLAGA acidic degradation by polyphosphazene hydrolysis products. The blend components PLAGA and polyphosphazene exhibited a similar degradation pattern as characterized by the molecular weight loss. Furthermore, blends demonstrated significantly higher osteoblast growth rates compared to PLAGA while maintaining osteoblast phenotype over a 21-day culture. Both blends demonstrated improved biocompatibility in a rat subcutaneous implantation model compared to PLAGA over 12 weeks.

The non-toxic, neutral degradation products of amino acid ester polyphosphazenes make them ideal candidates for in vivo orthopaedic applications. The quest for new osteocompatible materials for load bearing tissue engineering applications has led us to investigate mechanically competent amino acid ester substituted polyphosphazenes. In this study, we have synthesized three biodegradable polyphosphazenes substituted with side groups namely leucine, valine and phenylalanine ethyl esters. Of these polymers, the phenylalanine ethyl ester substituted polyphosphazene showed the highest glass transition temperature (41.6 °C) and hence was chosen as a candidate material for forming composite microspheres with 100 nm sized hydroxyapatite (nHAp). The fabricated composite microspheres were sintered into a three-dimensional (3-D) porous scaffold by adopting a dynamic solvent sintering approach. The composite microsphere scaffolds showed compressive moduli of 46-81 MPa with mean pore diameters in the range of 86-145 µm. The three-dimensional polyphosphazene-nHAp composite microsphere scaffolds showed good osteoblast cell adhesion, proliferation and alkaline phosphatase expression, and are potential suitors for bone tissue engineering applications.

Successful bone regeneration benefits from three‐dimensional (3D) bioresorbable scaffolds that mimic the hierarchical architecture and mechanical characteristics of native tissue extracellular matrix (ECM). A scaffold platform that integrates unique material chemistry with nanotopography while mimicking the 3D hierarchical bone architecture and bone mechanics is reported. A biocompatible dipeptide polyphosphazene‐polyester blend is electrospun to produce fibers in the diameter range of 50–500 nm to emulate dimensions of collagen fibrils present in the natural bone ECM. Various electrospinning and process parameters are optimized to produce blend nanofibers with good uniformity, appropriate mechanical strength, and suitable porosity. Biomimetic 3D scaffolds are created by orienting blend nanofiber matrices in a concentric manner with an open central cavity to replicate bone marrow cavity, as well as the lamellar structure of bone. This biomimicry results in scaffold stress–strain curve similar to that of native bone with a compressive modulus in the mid‐range of values for human trabecular bone. Blend nanofiber matrices support adhesion and proliferation of osteoblasts and show an elevated phenotype expression compared to polyester nanofibers. Furthermore, the 3D structure encourages osteoblast infiltration and ECM secretion, bridging the gaps of scaffold concentric walls during in vitro culture. The results also highlight the importance of in situ ECM secretion by cells in maintaining scaffold mechanical properties following scaffold degradation with time. This study for the first time demonstrates the feasibility of developing a mechanically competent nanofiber matrix via a biomimetic strategy and the advantages of polyphosphazene blends in promoting osteoblast phenotype progression for bone regeneration.

Synthetic biodegradable polymers serve as temporary substrates that accommodate cell infiltration and tissue in‐growth in regenerative medicine. To allow tissue in‐growth and nutrient transport, traditional three‐dimensional (3D) scaffolds must be prefabricated with an interconnected porous structure. Here a unique polymer erosion process through which polymer matrices evolve from a solid coherent film to an assemblage of microspheres with an interconnected 3D porous structure is demonstrated for the first time. This polymer system is developed on the highly versatile platform of polyphosphazene‐polyester blends. Co‐substituting a polyphosphazene backbone with both hydrophilic glycylglycine dipeptide and hydrophobic 4‐phenylphenoxy group generates a polymer with strong hydrogen bonding capacity. Rapid hydrolysis of the polyester component permits the formation of 3D void space filled with self‐assembled polyphosphazene spheres. Characterization of such self‐assembled porous structures reveals macropores (10–100 μm) between spheres as well as micro‐ and nanopores on the sphere surface. A similar degradation pattern is confirmed In vivo using a rat subcutaneous implantation model. 12 weeks of implantation results in an interconnected porous structure with 82–87% porosity. Cell infiltration and collagen tissue in‐growth between microspheres observed by histology confirms the formation of an in situ 3D interconnected porous structure. It is determined that the in situ porous structure results from unique hydrogen bonding in the blend promoting a three‐stage degradation mechanism. The robust tissue in‐growth of this dynamic pore forming scaffold attests to the utility of this system as a new strategy in regenerative medicine for developing solid matrices that balance degradation with tissue formation.