3D Printing of Bone-Mimetic Scaffold Composed of Gelatin/beta-Tri-Calcium Phosphate for Bone Tissue Engineering

Abstract

3D printed scaffolds composed of gelatin and beta-tri-calcium phosphate (beta-TCP) as a biomimetic bone material are fabricated, thereby providing an environment appropriate for bone regeneration. The Ca2+ in beta-TCP and COO- in gelatin form a stable electrostatic interaction, and the composite scaffold shows suitable rheological properties for bioprinting. The gelatin/beta-TCP scaffold is crosslinked with glutaraldehyde vapor and unreacted aldehyde groups which can cause toxicity to cells is removed by a glycine washing. The stable binding of the hydrogel is revealed as a result of FTIR and degradation rate. It is confirmed that the composite scaffold has compressive strength similar to that of cancellous bone and 60 wt% beta-TCP groups containing 40 wt% gelatin have good cellular activity with preosteoblasts. Also, in the animal experiments, the gelatin/beta-TCP scaffold confirms to induce bone formation without any inflammatory responses. This study suggests that these fabricated scaffolds can serve as a potential bone substitute for bone regeneration.