Functionalization of 3D printed poly(lactic acid)/graphene oxide/β-tricalcium phosphate (PLA/GO/TCP) scaffolds for bone tissue regeneration application

The challenge of bone tissue regeneration implies the use of new advanced technologies for the manufacture of polymeric matrices, with 3D printing technology being a suitable option for tissue engineering due to its low processing cost, its simple operation and the wide use of biomaterials in biomedicine. Among the biopolymers used to obtain porous scaffolds, poly(lactic acid) (PLA) stands out due its mechanical and biodegradability properties, although its low bioactivity to promote bone regeneration is a great challenge. In this research, a 3D scaffold based on PLA reinforced with bioceramics such as graphene oxide (GO) and β-tricalcium phosphate (TCP) was designed and characterized by FTIR, XRD, DSC, SEM and mechanical tests. The in vitro biocompatibility, viability, and cell proliferation of the poly-l-lysine (POLYL) functionalized scaffold were investigated using Wharton Jelly mesenchymal stem cells (hWJ-MSCs) and confirmed by XPS. The incorporation of GO/TCP bioceramics into the PLA polymer matrix increased the mechanical strength and provided a thermal barrier during the fusion treatments that the polymeric material undergoes during its manufacturing. The results show that the functionalization of the scaffold with POLYL allows improving the cell adhesion, proliferation and differentiation of hWJ-MSCs. The resulting scaffold PLA/GO/TCP/POLYL exhibits enhanced structural integrity and osteogenic cues, rendering it a promising candidate for biomedical applications.