Fabrication of 3D Self-Assembled Porous Microbead-Type Poly( l -Lactide-co-ε-Caprolactone) Scaffolds for Tissue Engineering

Abstract Biodegradable elastic poly( l -lactide-co- ɛ -caprolactone) (PLCL; 50:50) copolymer was synthesized, and 3D self-assembled porous microbead-type PLCL scaffolds were fabricated by a simple method involving rapid cooling of 1%, 5%, and 10% (w/v) PLCL/dioxane droplets into liquid nitrogen. The physicochemical properties of the PLCL scaffolds were examined by measuring their porosity, pore morphology, and interconnectivity using a scanning electron microscopy and dye-release testing. In addition, mechanical properties such as tensile strength and recovery for determining the elasticity of scaffolds were determined. NIH-3T3 fibroblast cell culture tests were performed to evaluate cell affinity for the scaffolds. The PLCL concentration had little effect on the initial cell adhesion after a 4-h cell culture; however, after a 48-h cell culture, increased cell proliferation on the collagen-coated PLCL scaffolds was observed. In this study, the porous bead scaffolds prepared from 5% (w/v) PLCL solutions showed a highly porous structure, satisfactory mechanical properties, and improved biocompatibility compared with those produced from 1% (w/v) or 10% (w/v) solutions. Such scaffolds show promise for a variety of tissue engineering applications.