摘要: | Background: The design of a scaffold that facilitates the osteogenesis process is a challenge for scientists and clinicians. The scaffold must have desirable properties, be biocompatible and biodegradable. Graphitic carbon nitride (g-C3N4) has a few advantages, including its processability, its non-toxicity, its high chemical stability, its specific surface area, and its mechanical strength. Thus, it can be used as a polycaprolactone (PCL) filler to enhance the osteoinductive and osteoconductive properties of composite materials. 3D scaffolds are fabricated using a solvent casting and particulate leaching technique. This is a simple and cost-effective way to produce porous 3D scaffolds with controlled pore size and distribution.
Objective: Identifying a scaffold material with a favourable combination of properties is critical to the success of bone regeneration. This study's findings regarding the influence of varying weight percentages (0.5wt% and 1wt%) of g-C3N4 on the properties of PCL scaffolds will be of interest for the promotion of bone tissue regeneration and to understand its capability to support the osteogenic processes.
Methods: The focus is evaluating the physical, chemical, mechanical properties, and biocompatibility features of PCL/g-C3N4 scaffolds. The physical characteristics, which include the water contact angle (WCA), the porosity, the morphology, and the pore distribution, have been evaluated. This study also examined the mechanical attributes of composite scaffolds and used the MG-63 cells as osteoblast surrogates. This was done to evaluate the scaffolds' capability to facilitate the osteogenic process.
Results: The scaffold containing B1 1% g-C3N4 showed improved hydrophilicity and good porosity. As pore size increases, the frequency count in the composite rises, while in pure PCL, it decreases and is not proportional to its macropores. Meanwhile, the scaffold containing B2 0.5% g-C3N4 and B2 1% g-C3N4 demonstrated enhanced biocompatibility. |