Development and characterization of zinc‐incorporated montmorillonite/poly(ε‐caprolactone) composite scaffold for osteogenic tissue‐engineering applications

Abstract

This article reveals the potential use of a macroporous 3D poly(ε‐caprolactone)‐zinc montmorillonite (PCL‐ZnMMT) composite scaffold as a bone tissue engineering template. The zinc‐incorporated porous scaffold was prepared by combining solvent casting and particulate leaching technique. Later, PCL‐ZnMMT composite scaffolds were characterized for their physicochemical, mechanical and in vitro biological properties. Human adipose stem cells (hASCs) were utilized for in vitro cell culture studies. Cell viability and proliferation of cell‐scaffold constructs were investigated using the Alamar Blue and Live/Dead‐staining assays. The osteogenic differentiation potential of hASCs on PCL‐ZnMMT scaffolds was evaluated by the alkaline phosphatase assay; Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to visualize mineral accumulation. X‐ray diffraction results indicate that the incorporation of MMT into polymer matrix. Thermal gravimetric analysis showed that the presence of clay improves thermal stability of polymeric matrix. ICP findings showed that Zn ion concentration in the cell culture medium was at a sustainable range up to 7 days. SEM micrographs reveal that scaffold had a highly porous morphology and also the infiltration of cells into the porous structure. In vitro studies showed that the incorporation of Zn into the PCL‐MMT system stimulated the in vitro proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of hASCs. Findings indicate that PCL‐ZnMMT scaffold composite may be a promising biomaterial for tissue engineering applications. POLYM. COMPOS., 39:E601–E608, 2018. © 2018 Society of Plastics Engineers

Composite clinoptilolite/PCL‐PEG‐PCL scaffolds for bone regeneration: In vitro and in vivo evaluation

“…In a study by Sun et al (), it was reported that increment in substrate mechanical strength could upregulate osteogenic lineage markers such as ALP. Through a similar method employed in our study, Demir () prepared zinc‐montmorillonite (Zn‐MNT)‐PCL composite scaffolds by solvent casting/particulate leaching technique (Demir, ). A decrease in porosity and an increase in compressive strength were observed when Zn‐MNT was introduced.…”

Progress in Montmorillonite Functionalized Artificial Bone Scaffolds: Intercalation and Interlocking, Nanoenhancement, and Controlled Drug Release

“…In addition, related studies have shown that modified MMT can not only enhance the mechanical properties of scaffolds but also improve its osteogenic properties [126,127]. For example, Demir's [128] research team prepared a porous scaffold of Zn-doped PCL-MMT. The results showed that the in vitro proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of human adipose stem cells (hASCs) were improved.…”