Page 351 - IJB-9-6

International

Journal of Bioprinting

RESEARCH ARTICLE
Melt electrospinning writing PCL scaffolds

after alkaline modification with outstanding
cytocompatibility and osteoinduction

Yubo Shi , Lei Wang , Liguo Sun , Zhennan Qiu , Xiaoli Qu , Jingyi Dang ,
1
2†
3,4
1†
1†
3,4
Zhao Zhang , Jiankang He *, and Hongbin Fan *
3,4
1
1
1 Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Xijing Hospital, The Fourth Military Medical University,
Xi’an, China
2 Department of Medical Management, Shaanxi Provincial Hospital of Chinese Medicine,
Xi’an, China
3
State Key Laboratory for Manufacturing Systems Engineering, Xi’an Jiaotong University,
Xi’an, China
4 Rapid Manufacturing Research Center of Shaanxi Province, Xi’an Jiaotong University,
Xi’an, China
† These authors contributed equally Abstract
to this work.
*Corresponding authors: Melt electrospinning writing (MEW) is a promising three-dimensional (3D) printing
Hongbin Fan technology that enables the creation of scaffolds with highly ordered microfibers.
(fanhb@fmmu.edu.cn) Polycaprolactone (PCL) is an ideal material for MEW scaffold fabrication due to its
Jiankang He exceptional printability. However, its low cellular affinity can hinder its performance in
(jiankanghe@mail.xjtu.edu.cn)
bone tissue engineering. This study aimed to explore the potential of NaOH treatment
Citation: Shi Y, Wang L, Sun L, as a means of enhancing the cytocompatibility and osteoinductive properties of PCL
et al., 2023, Melt electrospinning
writing PCL scaffolds after scaffolds. After modification with a NaOH solution, the physiochemical properties
alkaline modification with of the MEW PCL scaffold were analyzed. The surface of the scaffold was found to
outstanding cytocompatibility and have nanopits and nanogrooves, which differed from the smooth surface of the PCL
osteoinduction. Int J Bioprint,
9(6): 1071. scaffold. Atomic force microscopy and automatic water contact angle assays revealed
https://doi.org/10.36922/ijb.1071 an increase in surface roughness and wettability, both of which were found to be
beneficial for cell proliferation and adhesion. In vitro experiments demonstrated that
Received: June 12, 2023
Accepted: July 13, 2023 the NaOH-treated surface was able to induce osteogenic differentiation of rat bone
Published Online: August 11, 2023 marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) via the integrinα2/β1-PI3K-Akt signaling
Copyright: © 2023 Author(s). pathway, which had not been previously observed. The study involved implanting PCL
This is an Open Access article scaffold to repair a cranial defect. After 1 and 3 months of implantation, histological
distributed under the terms of the analysis and micro-computed tomography scans showed a higher amount of newly
Creative Commons Attribution
License, permitting distribution, formed bone on the NaOH-treated PCL scaffolds compared to the PCL scaffold. The
and reproduction in any medium, study concluded that NaOH treatment was a simple and effective way to enhance
provided the original work is cellular affinity and osteoinductive property of MEW PCL scaffold. This strategy may
properly cited.
provide a cost-efficient method for promoting bone regeneration.
Publisher’s Note: AccScience
Publishing remains neutral with
regard to jurisdictional claims in Keywords: Melt electrospinning writing; Polycaprolactone; Bone regeneration;
published maps and institutional
affiliations. Tissue engineering

Volume 9 Issue 6 (2023) 343 https://doi.org/10.36922/ijb.1071