Citrate‐Enhanced PCL Scaffolds for Bone Tissue Engineering

Abstract Filling key bone deficiencies with functional grafts and providing structural support is essential for 3D scaffold creation in bone tissue engineering. This study develop a new composite ink based on polycaprolactone (PCL) combined with FDA‐approved citrate‐based plasticizers to improve PCL for bone regeneration. This method increase PCL's mechanical strength, flexibility, and bioactivity. Four scaffold models, triple hexagon, grid, gyroid, and zigzag, are created utilizing composite ink filaments and precision extrusion‐based additive manufacturing. Chemical characterisation, mechanical compression, cellular proliferation, osteocyte differentiation, and gene expression assessments of scaffold models assess scaffold suitability for bone tissue engineering. Compared to pure PCL scaffolds, PCL/TBC and PCL/ATBC composite scaffolds increase cell growth by up to 35%. In the PCL/TBC group, gene expression analysis show considerable upregulation of osteogenic markers as ALP and BMP. The receptor activator of nuclear factor‐kappa B ligand (RANKL), which inhibits apoptosis and forms osteoclasts, is not expressed in any group. The created groups have increased osteoinductive capacity, according to these data. These findings demonstrate the PCL/TBC composite ink and tri‐hexagon scaffold model's ability to aid bone repair through 3D printing.