Development and Mechanical/Biological Analyses of Mechanically Enhanced Kagome-Structure Scaffold for Bone Regeneration

Abstract

In tissue engineering, a 3D scaffold has been developed by a variety of materials and techniques. However, their material properties were not enough compared to that of the real bone. To overcome the insufficient mechanical properties, many researchers have attempted by structural and chemical approach. In this study, to enhance mechanical properties of 3D scaffold for bone tissue regeneration, we developed a polycaprolactone (PCL) scaffold with a 3D kagome structure by precision extruding deposition technique. The developed kagome-structure scaffold was compared with conventional gridstructure scaffold. To analysis mechanical properties of the fabricated scaffolds, numerical analysis using ABAQUS, compressive UTM test, and three-point bending test were performed. Moreover, in-vitro assessment using Saos-2 cells and in-vivo evaluation using rabbit calvarial defect model were carried out.