Abstract: In scaffolds designed for ideal bone healing, bone regeneration efficacy is a crucial consideration. Our recent findings indicate that the contact area between the defect and scaffold significantly influences regeneration efficacy, with experimental evidence showing that morphological factors at this interface can enhance bone regeneration. Building upon these insights, this study experimentally examines how the directionality of channels within the scaffold affects bone regeneration efficacy. We designed two scaffold types: a Non-Radial-Stacking Scaffold (NRS) and a Radial-Stacking Scaffold (RS). Both scaffolds were engineered to have identical porosity, pore size, and defect-scaffold contact areas, differing only in channel direction. Numerical analysis of oxygen diffusion demonstrated that the RS scaffold facilitated better diffusion compared to the NRS. The in-vivo results further indicated that the RS scaffold significantly enhanced bone regeneration relative to the NRS. These findings suggest that prioritizing channel direction in scaffold design is essential for optimizing regenerative outcomes.

Key words: Channel direction')">Channel direction, Additive manufacturing, Bone defect, Scaffold, Bone regeneration