3D-Printed Poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid)-TiO₂ Constructs for Bone Regeneration

Objectives: Tissue engineering aims to create functional human tissue equivalents for organ repair and replacement. Recently, three-dimensional (3D) printing technology has emerged as a promising approach to design porous scaffolds in a reproducible manner. In this study, a 3D-printed poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid)-TiO₂ composite scaffold is developed for bone tissue engineering applications. PLGA, an FDA-approved polymer, is used as the matrix because of controllable degradation rate and non-toxic degradation bi-products while TiO₂ is employed as the filler to increase mechanical strength, bioactivity and hydrophilicity.
Methods: Various compositions of poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) and titanium dioxide (TiO2) are made via the solvent casting technique. The prepared composites are then printed through Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) technology. The 3D bioplotted scaffolds are characterized in terms of morphology, porosity, mechanical properties, hydrophilicity and biomineralization in osteoblast culture.
Results: Scaffolds fabricated in this study have porosities in the range of 50-70% measured through solvent displacement method. The mechanical test results show enhanced compression modulus of PLGA-TiO₂ composites compared to PLGA alone. Furthermore, addition of TiO2 to PLGA improves hydrophilicity of the scaffolds as well as biomineralization evaluated by contact angle measurement and alizarin red staining, respectively. These findings could be attributed to the Ti-OH groups on the surface of scaffolds.
Conclusions: It could be concluded that incorporation of TiO2 into 3D-printed PLGA scaffolds may improve their mechanical properties and bioactivity. PLGA-TiO2 3D-printed scaffolds represent promising result for bone regeneration purposes.