Composite degradable scaffolds in bone surgery
Magdalena Ziąbka, Ewa Stodolak, Jan Chłopek Akademia Górniczo-Hutnicza, Wydział Inżynierii i Ceramiki, Katedra Biomateriałów, al. Mickiewicza 30, 30-059 Kraków, Poland
Quarterly No. 2, 2008 pages 114-118
DOI:
keywords: scaffold composite, alginate, polymer degradation
abstract The aim of this study was to form composite materials which can be use as porous scaffolds for tissue engineering. The sodium alginate (powder form) was used as a biopolymer. In the first stage of the experiment alginate powder was chemically formed in bath gelation (CaCl2 solution). During the formation process the spherical shape of the material was obtained. The diameter’s range was between 300 and 400 m. Alginate spheres were one of the porogene’s phases which were used in the synthetic polymer matrix (PGLA). The second porogene which was used in the composite material was the initial alginate powder (grain’s diameter, d ~260 m). In the next stage the biopolymer material (alginate spheres with different diameters and alginate powder) were introduced into the polylactide-co-glicolide matrix (PGLA). In that way various series of composite materials with different volume fractions of porogene were obtained (PGLA/spheres Ca(Alg)2 with 60% of porogene and PGLA/spheres Ca(Alg)2/powder NaAlg with 63% of porogene). The behavior of composite materials in the biological environment was investigated (degradation test). As an immersion medium distilled water and an isotonic solution (Ringer) were used. On the basis of the pH medium changes and also from the observation of composite surfaces (optical microscope, SEM) the degradation rate was determined. Additionally, it was demonstrated (XRD) that porous materials such as spheres made of calcium alginate (Ca(Alg)2 are responsible for forming an apatite structure in the material’s pore. The obtained material can be considered as bioactive composite scaffolds.