Quick Search Adv. Search

J4 ›› 2015, Vol. 12 ›› Issue (4): 565-574.doi: 10.1016/S1672-6529(14)60146-3

• article • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Fabrication of Dual-pore Scaffolds Using a Combination of Wire-Networked Molding (WNM) and Non-solvent Induced Phase Separation (NIPS) Techniques

Dong Guk Sohn1, Myoung Wha Hong2, Young Yul Kim2, Young-Sam Cho1   

  1. 1. Division of Mechanical and Automotive Engineering, College of Engineering, Wonkwang University,460 Iksandae-ro, Iksan, Jeonbuk, 570-749, Republic of Korea
    2. Department of Orthopedics, Daejeon St. Mary’s Hospital, Catholic University of Korea, 64, Daeheung-ro, Jung-gu, Daejeon, 301-723, Republic of Korea
  • Received:2015-01-05 Revised:2015-09-05 Online:2015-10-10 Published:2015-10-10
  • Contact: Young-Sam Cho; Young Yul Kim E-mail:youngsamcho@wku.ac.kr; kimtwins72@catholic.ac.kr
  • About author:Dong Guk Sohn1, Myoung Wha Hong2, Young Yul Kim2, Young-Sam Cho1

Abstract:

In this study, to fabricate dual-pore scaffolds with interconnected pores, Non-solvent Induced Phase Separation (NIPS) and Wire-Network Molding (WNM) techniques were combined. First, a mold with uniform slits was prepared, and needles were inserted into the mold. Subsequently, polycaprolactone (PCL) pellets were dissolved in tetrahydrofuran (THF) at a specified ratio. The slurry was mixed using hot plate stirrer at 1200 rpm for 24 hours at 40 ?C. The PCL slurry was subsequently injected into the mold. Thereafter, to exchange the THF (solvent) with the ethanol (non-solvent), the mold was soaked in an ethanol bath. After removing the mold from the ethanol bath, the needles were removed from the mold. Consequently, dual-pore scaffold with interconnected pores was obtained. The surface morphology of the fabricated scaffolds were observed using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). Moreover, cell culture experiments were performed using the CCK-8 assay, and the characteristics of cells grown on the dual-pore scaffolds were assessed and were compared with the NIPS-based 3D plotting scaffold.

Key words: tissue engineering, scaffold, polycaprolactone (PCL), Wire-Network Molding (WNM), Non-solvent Induced Phase Separation (NIPS)