3D printed Polycaprolactone scaffolds with dual macro-microporosity for applications in local delivery of antibiotics

Abstract

Advanced scaffolds used in tissue regenerating applications should be designed to address clinically relevant complications such as surgical site infection associated with surgical procedures. Recognizing that patient-specific scaffolds with local drug delivery capabilities are a promising approach, we combined 3D printing with traditional salt-leaching techniques to prepare a new type of scaffold with purposely designed macro- and micro-porosity. The dual macro/micro porous scaffolds of medical-grade polycaprolactone (mPCL) were characterized for their porosity, surface area, mechanical properties and degradation. The use of these scaffolds for local prophylactic release of Cefazolin to inhibit S. aureus growth was investigated as an example of drug delivery with this versatile platform. The introduction of microporosity and increased surface area allowed for loading of the scaffold using a simple drop-loading method of this heat-labile antibiotic and resulted in significant improvement in its release for up to 3 days. The Cefazolin released from scaffolds retained its bioactivity similar to that of fresh Cefazolin. There were no cytotoxic effects in vitro against 3 T3 fibroblasts at Cefazolin concentration of up to 100 μg/ml and no apparent effects on blood clot formation on the scaffolds in vitro. This study therefore presents a novel type of scaffolds with dual macro- and micro-porosity manufactured by a versatile method of 3D printing combined with salt-leaching. These scaffolds could be useful in tissue regeneration applications where it is desirable to prevent complications using local delivery of drugs.

3D printed microneedle patches using stereolithography (SLA) for intradermal insulin delivery

“…3D printing or Additive Manufacturing (AM) is a family of technologies that implement layer-by-layer processes to fabricate physical models, based on a Computer Aided Design (CAD) model. 3D printing permits the fabrication of high degrees of complexity with great reproducibility, in a fast and cost-effective fashion [15][16][17][18]. In the field of transdermal drug delivery systems, the use of photopolymerization-based techniques such as Stereolithography (SLA), Digital Light Processing (DLP) and Two-Photon-Polymerization (2PP) for the development of MNs has been reported [19][20][21][22].…”

Fused Deposition Modelling as a Potential Tool for Antimicrobial Dialysis Catheters Manufacturing: New Trends vs. Conventional Approaches

“…PCL is biodegradable and thermally stable so it can withstand the high temperatures used in FDM and HME. PCL also has a low glass transition temperature at −60 • C, making it a more flexible material [73], and has been used to print stents through FDM effectively at a temperature of 220 • C [70]. The stents produced achieved 85-90% accuracy through the FDM printing process.…”

Advanced fabrication approaches to controlled delivery systems for epilepsy treatment

“…However, rigorous optimisation is required for each new drug-loaded and drug-free feedstock for FDM, as a main limitation of this technique is that the drugs usually have to go through the whole material fabrication process, often requiring high temperatures or toxic chemicals. A recent study by Visscher et al [54] evaded this issue through combining FDM printing with salt-leaching and as a result were able to introduce microporosity into the drug-loaded scaffold. By further coating this scaffold with gelatin methacrylate (GelMA) a sustained release of cefazolin over multiple days was attained.…”