Preparation of Gamma Poly-Glutamic Acid/Hydroxyapatite/Collagen Composite as the 3D-Printing Scaffold for Bone Tissue Engineering

Background Movement activities involving the role of articular cartilage and bones. The presence of cartilage enables bones to move over one another smoothly. However, repetitive microtrauma and ischemia as well as genetic effects can cause an osteochondral lesion. Numerous treatment methods such as microfracture, autograft, and allograft have been used, however, it possesses treatment challenges including extensive recovery time after surgery and financial burden on patients. Nowadays, tissue engineering approaches have been developed to repair bone and osteochondral defects using biomaterial implants to induce the regeneration of stem cells. Methods In this study, a collagen/γ-polyglutamate acid (PGA)/hydroxyapatite composite scaffold was fabricated using a 3D printing technique. A collagen/γ-PGA/hydroxyapatite 2D membrane was also fabricated for comparison. The scaffolds (4 layers) were designed with the size of 8 mm in diameter and 1.2 mm in thickness. The first layer was hydroxyapatite/γ-PGA and the second to fourth layers were collagen/γ-PGA. In addition, a 2D membrane was constructed from hydroxyapatite/γ-PGA and collagen/γ-PGA with a ratio of 1:3. The biocompatibility property and degradation activity were investigated for both scaffold and membrane samples. The rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (rBMSCs) and human adipose stem cells (hADSCs) were cultured on the samples and were tested in-vitro to evaluate cell attachment, proliferation, and differentiation. The in-vivo experiments were performed in the rat and nude mice models. Results Finally, the in-vitro and in-vivo results show that the developed scaffold is of well biodegradation and biocompatible properties; the Col-HA scaffold enhances the mechanical properties for osteochondrogenesis in both in-vitro and animal trials. Conclusions It would be a great biomaterial application for bone and osteochondral regeneration. © 2022, CC BY.