• Biomaterials and Biomechanics in Bioengineering
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.33-44
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• 2019

This paper presents a novel structural composition for artificial bone scaffolds with an appropriate biocompatibility and biodegradability capability. To achieve this aim, carbon nanotubes, due to their prominent mechanical properties, high biocompatibility with the body and its structural similarities with the natural bone structure are selected in component of the artificial bone structure. Also, according to the piezoelectric properties of natural bone tissue, the barium titanate, which is one of the biocompatible material with body and has piezoelectric property, is used to create self-healing ability. Furthermore, due to the fact that, most of the bone tissue is consists of hydroxyapatite, this material is also added to the artificial bone structure. Finally, polycaprolactone is used in synthetic bone composition as a proper substrate for bone growth and repair. To demonstrate, performance of the presented composition, the mechanical behaviour of the bone scaffold is simulated using ANSYS Workbench software and three dimensional finite element modelling. The obtained results are compared with mechanical behaviour of the natural bone and the previous bone scaffold compositions. The results indicated that, the modulus of elasticity, strength and toughness of the proposed composition of bone scaffold is very close to the natural bone behaviour with respect to the previous bone scaffold compositions and this composition can be employed as an appropriate replacement for bone implants.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Precision Engineering
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• v.31 no.9
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• pp.791-797
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• 2014

Abstract Scaffold used as a carrier of the cell has been actively conducted using plenty of technology in tissue engineering. ${\beta}$-tricalcium phosphate (${\beta}$-TCP) material has shown good biocompatibility and osteoconductive ability when it was implanted as a bone graft substitute in osseous defect in human and animal studies for bone regeneration. In this study, we fabricated the blended polycaprolactone (PCL) and ${\beta}$-TCP scaffold by the polymer deposition system (PDS). The PCL/${\beta}$-TCP scaffold was fabricated at a temperature of $110^{\circ}C$, pressure of 650 kPa, and scan velocity of 100 mm/sec. The Overall geometry and size of the scaffold were fixed circle type with a diameter of 10 mm and a height of 4 mm. PCL/${\beta}$-TCP scaffold was observed by scanning electron microscopy. Cell attachment and proliferation of the scaffold containing 30 wt% ${\beta}$-TCP was superior to those containing 10 wt% and 20 wt% ${\beta}$-TCP.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2011.08a
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• pp.202-202
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• 2011

The research of 3-dimensional (3-D) scaffold for tissue engineering has been widely investigated as the importance of the 3-D scaffold increased. 3-D scaffold is needed to support for cells to proliferate and maintain their biological functions. Furthermore, its architecture defines the shape of the new bone and cartilage growth. Polycaprolactone (PCL) has been one of the most promising materials for fabricating 3-D scaffold owing to its excellent mechanical property and biocompatibility. However, there are practical problems for using it, in vitro and in vivo; extracellular matrix components and nutrients cannot penetrate into the inner space of scaffold, due to its hydrophobic property, and thus cell seeding and attachment onto the inner surface remain as a challenge. Thus, the surface modification strategy of 3-D PCL scaffold is prerequisite for successful tissue engineering. Herein, we utilized a mussel-inspired approach for surface modification of 3-D PCL scaffold. Modification of 3-D PCL scaffolds was carried out by simple immersion of scaffolds into the dopamine solution and stimulated body fluid, and as a result, hydroxyapatite-immobilized 3-D PCL scaffolds were obtained. After surface modification, the wettability of 3-D PCL scaffold was considerably changed, and infiltration of the pre-osteoblastic cells into the 3-D scaffold followed by the attachment onto the surface was successfully achieved.

• Korean Journal of Materials Research
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.331-337
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• 2010

A highly porous Biphasic Calcium Phosphate (BCP) scaffold was fabricated by the sponge replica method with a microwave sintering technique. The BCP scaffold had interconnected pores ranging from $80\;{\mu}m$ to $1000\;{\mu}m$, which were similar to natural cancellous bone. To enhance the mechanical properties of the porous scaffold, infiltration of polycaprolactone (PCL) was employed. The microstructure of the BCP scaffold was optimized using various volume percentages of polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) for the infiltration process. PCL successfully infiltrated into the hollow space of the strut formed after the removal of the polymer sponge throughout the degassing and high pressure steps. The microstructure and material properties of the BCP scaffold (i.e., pore size, morphology of infiltrated and coated PCL, compressive strength, and porosity) were evaluated. When a 30 vol% of PMMA was used, the PCL-BCP scaffold showed the highest compressive strength. The compressive strength values of the BCP and PCL-BCP scaffolds were approximately 1.3 and 2MPa, respectively. After the PCL infiltration process, the porosity of the PCL-BCP scaffold decreased slightly to 86%, whereas that of the BCP scaffold was 86%. The number of pores in the $10\;{\mu}m$ to $20\;{\mu}m$ rage, which represent the pore channel inside of the strut, significantly decreased. The in-vitro study confirmed that the PCL-infiltrated BCP scaffold showed comparable cell viability without any cytotoxic behavior.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers A
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• v.39 no.12
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• pp.1229-1235
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• 2015

Scaffold fabrication technology using a 3D printer was developed for damaged bone tissue regeneration. A scaffold for bone tissue regeneration application should be biocompatible, biodegradable, and have an adequate mechanical strength. Moreover, the scaffold should have pores of satisfactory quantity and interconnection. In this study, we used the polymer deposition system (PDS) based on fused deposition modeling (FDM) to fabricate a 3D scaffold. The materials used were polycaprolactone (PCL) and alginic acid sodium salt (sodium alginate, SA). The salt-leaching method was used to fabricate dual pores on the 3D scaffold. The 3D scaffold with dual pores was observed using SEM-EDS (scanning electron microscope-energy dispersive spectroscopy) and evaluated through in-vitro tests using MG63 cells.

• Archives of Craniofacial Surgery
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.181-189
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• 2018

Background: Autogenous bone grafts have several limitations including donor-site problems and insufficient bone volume. To address these limitations, research on bone regeneration is being conducted actively. In this study, we investigate the effects of a three-dimensionally (3D) printed polycaprolactone (PCL)/tricalcium phosphate (TCP) scaffold on the osteogenic differentiation potential of adipose tissue-derived stem cells (ADSCs) and bone marrow-derived stem cells (BMSCs). Methods: We investigated the extent of osteogenic differentiation on the first and tenth day and fourth week after cell culture. Cytotoxicity of the 3D printed $PCL/{\beta}-TCP$ scaffold was evaluated by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-5-(3-carboxymethoxyphenyl)-2-(4-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium assay, prior to osteogenic differentiation analysis. ADSCs and BMSCs were divided into three groups: C, only cultured cells; M, cells cultured in the 3D printed $PCL/{\beta}-TCP$ scaffold; D, cells cultured in the 3D printed $PCL/{\beta}-TCP$ scaffold with a bone differentiation medium. Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity assay, von Kossa staining, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), and Western blotting were performed for comparative analysis. Results: ALP assay and von Kossa staining revealed that group M had higher levels of osteogenic differentiation compared to group C. RT-PCR showed that gene expression was higher in group M than in group C, indicating that, compared to group C, osteogenic differentiation was more extensive in group M. Expression levels of proteins involved in ossification were higher in group M, as per the Western blotting results. Conclusion: Osteogenic differentiation was increased in mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) cultured in the 3D printed PCL/TCP scaffold compared to the control group. Osteogenic differentiation activity of MSCs cultured in the 3D printed PCL/TCP scaffold was lower than that of cells cultured on the scaffold in bone differentiation medium. Collectively, these results indicate that the 3D printed PCL/TCP scaffold promoted osteogenic differentiation of MSCs and may be widely used for bone tissue engineering.

• Journal of Veterinary Clinics
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.332-339
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• 2016

Polycaprolactone (PCL) scaffold have been developed as an alternative to natural donor tissue to repair a large osteochondral defect. The objective of this study is to evaluate efficacy and biocompatibility of bilayer PCL scaffold implanted for osteochondral repair in rabbit. Twenty-two male New Zealand White rabbits were used in this animal experiment. Rabbits were divided into three groups. Experimental surgery was carried out under general anesthesia. Osteochondral defects (5 mm diameter and 5 mm deep) were made in the center of the patellar groove using a 5 mm diameter biopsy punch. In group I (3D plotting) and group II (salt-leaching), the scaffold was implanted using the press-fitted technique into the defect. In control group, after osteochondral defect was created, the defect was left without implant. After four and eight weeks, rabbits were sacrificed and the defects were evaluated by macro -and microscopical methods. There were not found animal death and severe inflammatory evidence during the experimental periods. There were no significant differences between the experimental groups in gross evaluation. However the group I scored significantly higher than group II at 8 weeks in histological evaluation (P < 0.05). The 3-D plotting PCL scaffold was more suitable method for reconstruction of osteochondral defect than a salt-leaching PCL scaffold.

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.38 no.6
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• pp.815-819
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• 2014

Scaffolds of tissue engineering should be biocompatible and biodegradable for cell attachment, proliferation and differentiation. In the various scaffold fabrication, 3D printing technique can make the three dimensional scaffold with interconnected pores for cell ingrowth. Polycaprolactone (PCL) is biodegradable polyester with a low melting temperature and has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). In this study, PCL scaffold was fabricated by 3D bioprinting system and surface modification of PCL scaffold was controlled by NaOH treatment. Morphological change and wetability of NaOH-treated scaffold were observed by SEM and contact angle measurement system. The remnant of PCL treated with NaOH was measured by ATR-FTIR. In vitro study of scaffolds was evaluated with WST-1 and ALP activity assay. NaOH treatment of PCL scaffolds increased surface roughness, hydrophilicity, cell proliferation and osteogenic differentiation. These results indicate that NaOH-treated PCL scaffold made by 3D bioprinting has tissue engineered potential for the development of biocompatible material.

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.32 no.5
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• pp.458-464
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• 2008

A successful scaffold should have a highly porous structure and good mechanical stability. High porosity and appropriate pore size provide structural matrix for initial cell attachment and proliferation enabling the exchange of nutrients between the scaffold and environment. In this paper the highly porous scaffold of poly(${\varepsilon}$-caprolactone) electrospun nanofibers could be manufactured with an auxiliary electrode and chemical blowing agent (BA) under several processing conditions, such as the concentration of PCL solution, weight percent of a chemical blowing agent, and decomposition time of a chemical blowing agent. To attain stable electrospinnability and blown nanofiber mats having high microporosity and large pore, a processing condition, 8wt% of PCL solution and 0.5wt% of a chemical blowing agent under $100^{\circ}C$ and decomposition time of $2{\sim}3\;s$, was used. The growth characteristic of human dermal fibroblasts cells cultured in the mats showed the good adhesion and proliferation on the blown mat compared to a normal electrospun mat.

• Polymer(Korea)
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.150-155
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• 2014

Polycaprolactone (PCL) is a synthetic biodegradable polymer with excellent mechanical properties. $TiO_2$ (titanium dioxide) has a hydrophilic, high density and excellent biocompatibility. In this work, we produced three-dimensional porous scaffolds with PCL and $TiO_2$ nanoparticles using a salt-leaching method. Physical properties of the scaffolds were analyzed by FE-SEM, FTIR, TGA and compressive strength. Interestingly, the addition of $TiO_2$ nanoparticles decreased the water absorption and swelling ratio of the porous scaffolds. However, the compressive strength was increased by $TiO_2$. CCK-8 assay, which is generally used for the analysis of cell growth, shows that $TiO_2$ nanoparticles have no cytotoxicity. Taken together, we suggest that the PLC/$TiO_2$-scaffold can be used for biomedical applications.