PCL-TCP wet spun scaffolds carrying antibiotic-loaded microspheres for bone tissue engineering

Scaffolds produced for tissue engineering applications are proven to be promising alternatives to be used in healing and regeneration of injured tissues and organs. In this study, porous and fibrous poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) scaffolds were prepared by wet spinning technique and modified by addition of tricalcium phosphate (TCP) and by immobilizing gelatin onto fibers. Meanwhile, gelatin microspheres carrying Ceftriaxone sodium (CS), a model antibiotic, were added onto the scaffolds and antimicrobial activity of CS was investigated against Escherichia coli (E. coli), a model gram-negative bacterium. TCP and gelatin were added to enhance mechanical properties while directing the scaffold towards osteogenic infrastructure and to increase hydrophilicity by activating cell attachment via protein molecules, respectively. Modifications with TCP and gelatin enhanced the compression modulus by about 70%, and attachment of Saos-2 cells by 60%, respectively. Release of the antibiotic demonstrated effective antimicrobial activity against E. coli. The bioactive scaffolds were shown to be good candidates for bone tissue engineering applications.