Two types of phosphate glasses 50Na2O-20B2O3-30P2O5 (NBP) and 30CaO-20Na2O-50P2O5 (CNP) with different content of TiO2 (0, 3 and 5 mol%) have been prepared by melt-quenching process. TiO2 was added to increase glass network stability. Physical properties of glasses were investigated by density measurements, differential scanning calorimetry and degradation in phosphate buffered saline (PBS). Biological performance of glasses in a direct contact with osteoblast-like MG-63 cells was analysed with the use of resazurin test and live-dead staining. The results show that TiO2 addition increased density, glass transition temperature (Tg) and melting temperature (Tm) of both types of glasses. In the case of NBP glasses presence of TiO2 resulted in their fast degradation in PBS and acidification of cell culture medium. As a consequence such glasses did not support cell adhesion and growth, but they can be considered for e.g. drug delivery systems. On the other hand addition of TiO2 to CNP glasses resulted in enhanced cell adhesion and viability. Particularly positive results were found for CNP glass containing 5% TiO2, so it can be a good candidate as a scaffold material for bone tissue engineering.
In this study the attempts to improve mechanical properties of highly-porous titanium dioxide scaffolds produced by polymer sponge replication method were investigated. Particularly the effect of two-step sintering at different temperatures on microstructure and mechanical properties (compression test) of the scaffolds were analysed. To this end microcomputed tomography and scanning electron microscopy were used as analytical methods. Our experiments showed that the most appropriate conditions of manufacturing were when the scaffolds were heat-treated at 1500 °C for 1 h followed by sintering at 1200 °C for 20 h. Such scaffolds exhibited the highest compressive strength which was correlated with the highest linear density and the lowest size of grains. Moreover, grain size distribution was narrower with predominating fraction of fine grains 10–20 μm in size. Smaller grains and higher linear density suggested that in this case densification process prevailed over undesirable process of grain coarsening, which finally resulted in improved mechanical properties of the scaffolds.
Poly(L-lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) scaffolds of pore size within the range of 250–320 μm were produced by solvent casting/ porogen leaching method. Afterwards, they were modified through adsorption of collagen type I and incubation in simulated body fluid (SBF) to allow deposition of hydroxyapatite (HAp). The wettability of the scaffolds was measured by sessile drop test. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) evaluation and energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX) were also performed. SEM evaluation and EDX analysis depicted the presence of HAp deposits and a collagen layer on the pore walls on the surface and in the bulk of the scaffolds. Wettability and water droplets penetration time within the scaffolds decreased considerably after applying modifications. Human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSC) were cultured on the scaffolds for 28 days and cell morphology, proliferation and differentiation as well as calcium deposition were evaluated. Lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activity results revealed that cells cultured on tissue culture polystyrene (TCPS) exhibited high proliferation capacity. Cell growth on the scaffolds was slower in comparison to TCPS and did not depend on modification applied. On the other hand, osteogenic differentiation of hMSC as confirmed by alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity and mineralization results was enhanced on the scaffolds modified with hydroxyapatite and collagen.