Liu H., Slamovich E.B., Webster T.J.
Purdue University, US
Keywords: degradation, nanocomposite, tissue engineering
In the last ten years, biodegradable aliphatic polyesters, such as poly(lactide-co-glycolide) acid (PLGA), have attracted increasing attention for their use as scaffold materials in bone tissue engineering because their degradation products can be removed by natural metabolic pathways. However, one main concern of the use of these polymers is that their degradation products can reduce the local pH, which can in turn induce an inflammatory reaction and damage bone cell health at the implant site. Thus, the objective of the present study was to investigate the degradation behavior of PLGA influenced by the dispersion of titania nanoparticles. The results of this study provided the first evidence that the increased dispersion of nanophase titania in PLGA decreased the harmful degradation products of PLGA for favorable new bone growth. Moreover, previous studies have demonstrated that the increased dispersion of titania nanoparticles into PLGA significantly improved osteoblast (bone-forming cell) functions (such as adhesion, collagen synthesis, alkaline phosphatase activity and calcium-containing minerals deposition). In this manner, nanophase titania/PLGA composites can be promising scaffold materials for more effective orthopedic tissue engineering applications.
Journal: TechConnect Briefs
Volume: 2, Technical Proceedings of the 2006 NSTI Nanotechnology Conference and Trade Show, Volume 2
Published: May 7, 2006
Pages: 87 - 90
Industry sector: Medical & Biotech
Topic: Biomaterials
ISBN: 0-9767985-7-3