Fabrication of Macroporous Scaffold Using Calcium Phosphate Glass for Bone Regeneration

Numerous techniques have been applied to fabricate three-dimensional scaffolds of high porosity and surface area. In this study, we fabricated three-dimensional macroporous scaffold by polymeric sponge method using calcium phosphate glass in CaO-CaF₂-P₂O₅-MgO-ZnO. Calcium phosphate glass slurry was prepared by suspending the glass powder in water, polyvinyl alcohol, polyethylene glycol and dimethyl formamide. Reticulated polyurethane sponges were used as a template and were coated with the prepared slurry by infiltration technique several times. Calcium phosphate glass slurry was homogenously thick coated when the amounts of calcium phosphate glass powder and polyvinyl alcohol were 67 and 8 wt%, respectively. Addition of 10 wt% dimethyl formamide as a drying control chemical additive into a slurry successively prevented microcrack formation. Sintering at 850°C exhibited dense microstructures as well as entire elimination of organic additives. When the macroporous scaffolds were transplanted subcutaneously in the dorsal surface of mice, the vascularized mesenchymal stem cells were formed in the transplanted scaffolds and the regenerated connective tissue was also formed after 4 weeks. These results of the present study suggested that the fabricated macroporous scaffold is expected to be useful scaffold material for osteogenic tissue development.