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Porous microspheres fabricated by biodegradable polymers show great potential as microcarriers for cell cultivation in tissue engineering. Herein biodegradable poly(DL-lactide) (PLA) was used to fabricate porous microspheres through a modified double emulsion solvent evaporation method. The influence of fabrication parameters, such as the stirring speed of the primary and secondary emulsion, the polymer concentration of the oil phase, and solvent type, as well as the post-hydrolysis treatment of the porous structure of the PLA microspheres are discussed. Good attachment and an active spread of MG-63 cells on the microspheres is observed, which indicates that the PLA microspheres with controllable porous structure are of great potential as cell delivery carriers for tissue engineering.

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FFA can be used as reference for implant positioning in axial plane also in pathologic knees, while for the frontal plane further investigations are required.

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Silk biomaterials with tunable mechanical properties and biological properties are of special importance for tissue engineering. Here, we fabricated silk fibroin (SF, from Bombyx mori silk) scaffolds from cryogelation under controlled temperature and catalytic cross-linking conditions. Structurally, the cryogelled scaffolds demonstrated a greater β-sheet content but significantly smaller β-sheet domains compared to that without chemical cross-linking and catalyst. Mechanically, the cryogelled scaffolds were softer and highly elastic under tension and compression. The 120% tensile elongation and >85% recoverable compressive strain were among the best properties reported for SF scaffolds. Cyclic compression tests proved the robustness of such scaffolds to resist fatigue. The mechanical properties, as well as the degradation rate of the scaffolds, can be fine-tuned by varying the concentrations of the catalyst and the cross-linker. For biological responses, in vitro rat bone mesenchymal stem cell (rBMSC) culture studies demonstrated that cryogelled SF scaffolds supported better cell attachment and proliferation than the routine freeze-thawed scaffolds. The in vivo subcutaneous implantation results showed excellent histocompatibility and tissue ingrowth for the cryogelled SF scaffolds. This straightforward approach of enhanced elasticity of SF scaffolds and fine-tunability in mechanical performances, suggests a promising strategy to develop novel SF biomaterials for soft tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.

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