Cellulose-based grafts for bone regeneration

Abstract

In this work cellulose scaffolds with embedded hydroxyapatite particles were prepared. The results obtained in this work revealed that the morphology of composite scaffolds is suitable for bone tissue regeneration. The highly porous scaffolds comprised non-symmetrical interconnected pores. Such arrangement of the pores is essential for cellular activity, in-growth of blood vessels and formation of bone tissue. Moreover, reinforced cellulose scaffolds have demonstrated improved mechanical properties. Introduction. Nowadays various bone grafting materials as autografts, allografts, xenografts and synthetic biomaterials are used for bone tissue regeneration. Autografts are the gold standard for this purpose, since they are osteogenic, osteoinductive and osteoconductive. HOwever, transplantation of autograft tissue requires a second surgical site. This problem is avoided using allograft tissue, taken from another person or xenograft, taken from another species. However, these are generally associated with disease transmission. The synthetic bioceramic materials often agglomerate after implantation and blood vessels cannot grow in. Such constructs should be removed. Three-dimensional (3D) scaffolds fabricated from polymers can be an alternative option for bone regeneration. Synthetic biodegradable polymers as poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL), poly(glycolic acid) (PGA), poly(lactic acid) (PLA) and (poly(lactic-co-glycolic) acid (PLGA) are the most frequently used materials for the fabrication of 3D scaffolds. In order to improve the mechanical stability of such constructs and enhance bioactivity, several materials, such as hydroxyapatite, β-tricalcium phosphate or bioactive glass are embedded in polymer-based frameworks. The aim of this work was to prepare 3D natural polymer-based scahholds with hydroxyapatite particles for bone tissue regeneration. [...].