Speaker
Description
The interface between bones and connective tissues, i.e. cartilage, ligament and tendon, is characterized by changes in cell phenotype and matrix composition and organization. These changes result in graded mechanical properties that allow the transmission of load without creating stress concentrations. In some interface regions, differences in mechanical properties, such as stiffness, can reach three orders of magnitude1. Thus, regenerating such structurally and functionally complex interfaces is challenging and presents a serious clinical problem2. Current regenerative efforts are typically directed towards the development of composite3, stratified scaffolds4, with the graded structure and physico-chemical composition. In this study, we hypothesize that a ligament fibrous scaffold that captures the graded composition and organization of native ligament tissue can result in long-term, stable, ligament regeneration. To test this hypothesis, we have first investigated the fabrication of well-organized fibrous scaffolds from a bone inducing material, based on magnesium phosphate (MgP) ceramic modified with medical grade polycaprolactone phase (PCL) 5, via meltelectrowriting (MEW) process. The effect of PCL on MgP MEW processing was investigated in order to obtain reproducible fiber scaffolds with micrometer sizes and high ceramic content. In addition, bone forming potential of MgP-PCL fibre scaffolds was evaluated in vitro over 28 days in both basal and osteogenic medium. Finally, the promising constructs were tested for their potential to promote stable bone-ligament interface regeneration in a periodontal rat model for 4 weeks.
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