Weijie Zhanga, b, c, Qin Liana, , , Dichen Lia, Kunzheng Wangb, Dingjun Haod, Weiguo Biana, e, Zhongmin Jina, f

a State Key Laboratory for Manufacturing Systems Engineering, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China

b The First Department of Orthopaedics, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Health Science Center, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China

c Department of Joint Surgery, Hong Hui Hospital, Health Science Center, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China

d Department of Spine Surgery, Hong Hui Hospital, Health Science Center, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China

e Department of Orthopaedics, The First Affiliated Hospital, Health Science Center, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China

f Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering, School of Mechanical Engineering, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK

 

Abstract

Interface integration between chondral phase and osseous phase is crucial in engineered osteochondral scaffolds. However, the integration was poorly understood and commonly failed to meet the need of osteochondral scaffolds. In this paper, a biphasic polyethylene glycol (PEG)/β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) scaffold with enhanced interfacial integration was developed. The chondral phase was a PEG hydrogel. The osseous phase was a β-TCP ceramic scaffold. The PEG hydrogel was directly cured on the ceramic interface layer by layer to fabricate osteochondral scaffolds by 3D printing technology. Meanwhile, a series of interface structure were designed with different interface pore area percentages (0/10/20/30/40/50/60%), and interfacial shear test was applied for interface structure optimization (n = 6 samples/group). The interfacial shear strength of 30% pore area group was nearly three folds improved compared with that of 0% pore area percentage group, and more than fifty folds improved compared with that of traditional integration (5.91 ± 0.59 kPa). In conclusion, the biomimetic PEG/β-TCP scaffolds with interface structure enhanced integration show promising potential application for osteochondral tissue engineering.

 

Keywords

Interface; Microstructure; Interfacial shear strength; 3D printing; Biphasic scaffold; Ceramic

 

Full text is available at http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0928493114006195