3D printed β-tricalcium phosphate versus synthetic bone mineral scaffolds: A comparative in vitro study of biocompatibility

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Slavin, Blaire V.^a; | Mirsky, Nicholas A.^a; | Stauber, Zachary M.^a; | Nayak, Vasudev Vivekanand^b; | Smay, James E.^c | Rivera, Cristobal F.^d | Mijares, Dindo Q.^e | Coelho, Paulo G.^{a; f} | Cronstein, Bruce N.^g | Tovar, Nick^h | Witek, Lukasz^{e; i; j;}

Affiliations: [a] Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA | [b] Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA | [c] School of Materials Science and Engineering, Oklahoma State University, Tulsa, OK, USA | [d] Division of Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, Department of Surgery and Cell Biology, Langone Medical Center, New York University, New York, NY, USA | [e] Biomaterials Division, NYU College of Dentistry, New York, NY, USA | [f] DeWitt Daughtry Family Department of Surgery, Division of Plastic Surgery, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA | [g] Department of Medicine, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA | [h] Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Langone Medical Center and Bellevue Hospital Center, New York University, New York, NY, USA | [i] Department of Biomedical Engineering, NYU Tandon School of Engineering, Brooklyn, NY, USA | [j] Hansjörg Wyss Department of Plastic Surgery, NYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA

Correspondence: [*] Corresponding authors: Vasudev Vivekanand Nayak, Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, FL, USA. E-mail: vxn188@miami.edu. Lukasz Witek, MSci, PhD, Biomaterials Division, NYU College of Dentistry, 345 E. 24th St., Room 902D, New York, NY, USA. Tel.: +1 212 998 9269; E-mail: lukasz.witek@nyu.edu

Note: [†] B.V.S., N.A.M. and Z.M.S. contributed equally to this work.

Abstract: BACKGROUND:β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) has been successfully utilized as a 3D printed ceramic scaffold in the repair of non-healing bone defects; however, it requires the addition of growth factors to augment its regenerative capacity. Synthetic bone mineral (SBM) is a novel and extrudable carbonate hydroxyapatite with ionic substitutions known to facilitate bone healing. However, its efficacy as a 3D printed scaffold for hard tissue defect repair has not been explored. OBJECTIVE:To evaluate the biocompatibility and cell viability of human osteoprecursor (hOP) cells seeded on 3D printed SBM scaffolds via in vitro analysis. METHODS:SBM and β-TCP scaffolds were fabricated via 3D printing and sintered at various temperatures. Scaffolds were then subject to qualitative cytotoxicity testing and cell proliferation experiments utilizing (hOP) cells. RESULTS:SBM scaffolds sintered at lower temperatures (600 °C and 700 °C) induced greater levels of acute cellular stress. At higher sintering temperatures (1100 °C), SBM scaffolds showed inferior cellular viability relative to β-TCP scaffolds sintered to the same temperature (1100 °C). However, qualitative analysis suggested that β-TCP presented no evidence of morphological change, while SBM 1100 °C showed few instances of acute cellular stress. CONCLUSION:Results demonstrate SBM may be a promising alternative to β-TCP for potential applications in bone tissue engineering.

Keywords: 3D printing, direct inkjet writing, bone regeneration, bioceramics, synthetic bone mineral

DOI: 10.3233/BME-230214

Journal: Bio-Medical Materials and Engineering, vol. 35, no. 4, pp. 365-375, 2024