• evaluation of Beta-Tricalcium phosphate /polycaprolactone nano composite scaffold in bone regeneration application
  • Seyedeh Sara Shafiei,1,* Faeze Shiralipoor,2
    1. National Institute of genetic engineering and biotechnology
    2. National Institute of genetic engineering and biotechnology


  • Introduction: The aim of bone tissue engineering is to facilitate the healing of the damaged tissue and restores the function sustainably and by using different nanocomposite it has been trying to design a biocompatible and biodegradable scaffold with optimal properties for bone regeneration.
  • Methods: In this study different amounts of BTCP (beta-tricalcium phosphate) a precursor of bone mineral phase was composited with polycaprolactone, to enhance biological and mechanical properties of scaffolds. BTCP-PCL composites with the 0, 10, 20, and 50 weight percent (WT%) were prepared by particulate leaching method using sodium chloride as porogen and freeze-drying method) lyophilization (. The scaffold architecture consists of relatively large interconnected pores modeled after porogen and smaller pore resulting from the freeze-drying process. Material properties of scaffolds like XRD, SEM micrographs of scaffolds, and EDAX analyses were characterized. mechanical properties of the nanocomposite scaffolds were characterized by the compression strength test and the bioactivity of the scaffolds in simulated body fluid (SBF) was assessed. The proliferation, cell attachment, and differentiation of mouse bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) on the scaffolds were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), live-dead, Alizarin red, and alkaline phosphatase assays.
  • Results: The results showed that the addition of BTCP to the PCL matrix improved the properties of scaffold and it indicated that BMSCs can attach firmly on the scaffolds and by increasing BTCP the amounts of HA produced were significantly elevated. Moreover, no toxicity was reported after 1, 3, and 5 days after cell seeding on scaffolds and alkaline phosphatase activity demonstrated enhanced proliferation and differentiation of cells on scaffolds containing nanoparticles in comparison with pure PCL.
  • Conclusion: It is concluded that BTCP-PCL nanocomposites with the optimum concentration can be a good candidate for bone tissue engineering applications.
  • Keywords: Polycaprolactone, porous nanocomposites, freeze-drying, microsphere, Bone Tissue Engineering