PCL loaded with sol-gel synthesized organic-inorganic hybrid fillers: from the analysis of 2D substrates to the design of 3D rapid prototyped composite scaffolds for tissue engineering

摘要

As reported in the literature, scaffolds for soft and hard tissue regeneration should satisfy several requirements. In the present work, the potential of 3D fiber deposition technique to design morphologically controlled scaffolds consisting of poly(ε-caprolactone) reinforced with sol-gel synthesized organic-inorganic hybrid fillers was demonstrated, also benefiting from a basic study carried out on 2D composite substrates. Finite element analysis, biological and mechanical tests were properly performed to assess the effects of the inclusion of the hybrid fillers on the performances of 2D substrates and 3D structures.