Abstract:

BACKGROUND: With the development of technology, poly-L-lactic acid/β-tricalcium phosphate composite materials show good characters in the tissue engineering, which can promote osteoblast proliferation, reduce rejection reactions, and improve bone healing in a dose-dependent manner.
OBJECTIVE: To test the influence of poly-L-lactic acid with different molecule weights on the structure and function of poly-L-lactic acid/β-tricalcium phosphate composite scaffolds.
METHODS: Poly-L-lactic acid with molecule weights of 200 000 and 380 000 were combined with β-tricalcium phosphate to produce composite scaffolds by using freeze-drying method. Porosity and pore size of the samples were measured. The fetal rabbit bone mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) were cultured and expanded in vitro. They were harvested and seeded into the prepared poly-L-lactic acid/β-tricalcium phosphate scaffolds. The 3-(4, 5-Dimethylthiazol-2yl)-2, 5 diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) and alkaline phosphatase were examined for comparison between normal cultured BMSCs and those cultured on the different poly-L-lactic acid/β-tricalcium phosphate scaffolds.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: Images of scanning electron microscope showed that the cells adhered to the scaffolds greatly. The value of MTT and alkaline phosphatase showed no significant difference (P > 0.05). The molecule weight of poly-L-lactic acid has no influence on the biological function of composite materials.