3D Printed PEGDA-hydroxyapatite composite scaffolds for bone regeneration

This study presents manufacturing of Poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA)- Hydroxyapatite (HA) composite by Digital Light Processing (DLP) technology. PEGDA along with HA extracted from bovine was mixed with a photoinitiator (PI) and water to achieve optimized rheology for DLP. The printing parameters for DLP were optimized. Chemical composition, microstructure and mechanical properties of the composite were characterized. The compressive strength of PEGDA-HA composite achieved a maximum of 20 MPa in Z direction. The flexural strength was 56 MPa and 34 MPa for horizontal and vertical orientations, correspondingly, indicating anisotropic behavior of the samples. The cytotoxicity assessments were performed. The 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-Diphenyltetrazolium Bromide (MTT) assay and confocal imaging indicated that the scaffold powder exhibits minimal cytotoxicity at low concentrations (0.001 g/ml), with high cell viability and minimal cell death or membrane damage.