3D Printing of Porous Degradable Scaffolds with Polylactic Acid‐Loaded Bioactive Glass and Calcium Sulfate Hemihydrate for Bone Defect Repair

Abstract

AbstractRepair of bone defects, especially critical‐sized bone defects, remains a major clinical problem, and bone nonunion is the biggest challenge. Herein, melt‐extrusion 3D printing is applied to prepare biodegradable composite scaffolds containing bioactive glass (BAG), calcium sulfate hemihydrate (CSH), and polylactic acid (PLA). The compressive strength of scaffolds is similar to that of human bone tissue. In vitro and in vivo experiments show that the scaffolds have good biocompatibility. The scaffold can maintain the biomechanical stability of the bone defect area during the follow‐up period of 20 weeks and has no damage to liver and kidney in animal experiments. Scaffold degradation is accompanied by trabecular bone and vessel neogenesis. While the PLA group and control group cannot carry out effective bone defect repair, the bone defect repair effect of the PLA‐CSH‐BAG group is satisfactory. In conclusion, the biodegradable porous scaffold has been proposed as a safe and effective approach for the repair of bone defects.