Structural and human cellular assessment of a novel microsphere-based tissue engineered scaffold for bone repair

The limitations of current grafting materials have driven the search for synthetic alternatives for the regeneration of trabecular bone. A variety of biodegradable polymer foams composed of 85/15 poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLAGA) have been evaluated for such uses. However, structural limitations may restrict the clinical use of these scaffolds. We have developed a novel sintered microsphere scaffold with a biomimetic pore system equivalent to the structure of trabecular bone. By modifying processing parameters, several different sintered microsphere structures were fabricated. Optimization of the structure dealt with modifications to sphere diameter and heating time. Compressive testing illustrated a trend between microsphere diameter and modulus, where increased microsphere diameter resulted in decreased modulus. In addition, evaluation of the pore system showed a positive correlation between sphere diameter and pore diameter. Mercury porosimetry showed increased median pore size with an increased microsphere diameter. Heating time modifications showed that compressive modulus was dependent on the period of heating with longer heating times resulting in higher moduli. It was also shown that heating time did not affect the pore structure. Analysis of the structural data indicated that the microsphere matrix sintered for 4 h at a temperature of 160°C with a microsphere diameter of 600–710 μm resulted in an optimal, biomimetic structure with range in pore diameter of 83–300 μm, a median pore size of 210 μm, 35% porosity, and a compressive modulus of 232 MPa. An in vitro evaluation of human osteoblasts seeded onto the sintered matrix indicated that the structure was capable of supporting the attachment and proliferation of cells throughout its pore system. Immunofluorescent staining of actin showed that the cells were proliferating three-dimensionally through the pore system. The stain for osteocalcin was used and showed that cells maintained phenotypic expression for this bone specific protein. Through this work, it was shown that an osteoconductive PLAGA scaffold with a pore system used as a reverse template to the structure of trabecular bone could be fabricated through the sintered microsphere method.