Collagenous matrix supported by a 3D-printed scaffold for osteogenic differentiation of dental pulp cells

• Published in: Dental materials Vol. 34; no. 2; pp. 209 - 220
• Main Authors: Fahimipour, Farahnaz, Dashtimoghadam, Erfan, Rasoulianboroujeni, Morteza, Yazdimamaghani, Mostafa, Khoshroo, Kimia, Tahriri, Mohammadreza, Yadegari, Amir, Gonzalez, Jose A., Vashaee, Daryoosh, Lobner, Douglas C., Jafarzadeh Kashi, Tahereh S., Tayebi, Lobat
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Elsevier Ltd 01.02.2018; Elsevier BV
• Subjects: 3D-printing; Additive manufacturing; Alkaline phosphatase; Animals; Biocompatibility; Biological activity; Biomedical materials; Bone growth; Bone Regeneration; Calcium phosphates; Calcium Phosphates - chemistry; Cell culture; Cell Differentiation - drug effects; Collagen; Collagen - chemistry; Combinatorial analysis; Compressive Strength; Confocal microscopy; Dental pulp; Dental Pulp - cytology; Dental pulp cells; Dentistry; Differentiation (biology); Extracellular matrix; Extracellular Matrix - chemistry; Fabrication; Formulations; Fourier transforms; Freeze Drying; Humans; Hybrid scaffolds; In Vitro Techniques; Infrared spectroscopy; Materials Testing; Matrix; Microscopy; Microscopy, Confocal; Osteoblastogenesis; Osteoblasts; Osteogenesis - physiology; Osteogenic differentiation; Porosity; Printing, Three-Dimensional; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Regeneration; Regeneration (physiology); Scaffolds; Scanning microscopy; Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; Strength testing; Three dimensional printing; Tissue Scaffolds - chemistry; Tricalcium phosphate; X-Ray Diffraction; β-TCP; Hybrid scaffolds; 3D-printing; Osteogenic differentiation; Collagen; Dental pulp cells; β-TCP
• ISSN: 0109-5641; 1879-0097
• DOI: 10.1016/j.dental.2017.10.001

[Display omitted] •A bone extracellular-mimetic platform for osteogenic differentiation of DPCs was designed.•A combinatorial scaffold fabrication approach based on 3D-printing technique and freeze-drying method was employed.•The fabricated 3D-printed β-TCP/Collagen hybrid constructs showed great promise to harness DPSCs capacity toward craniomaxillofacial bone regeneration. A systematic characterization of hybrid scaffolds, fabricated based on combinatorial additive manufacturing technique and freeze-drying method, is presented as a new platform for osteoblastic differentiation of dental pulp cells (DPCs). The scaffolds were consisted of a collagenous matrix embedded in a 3D-printed beta-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) as the mineral phase. The developed construct design was intended to achieve mechanical robustness owing to 3D-printed β-TCP scaffold, and biologically active 3D cell culture matrix pertaining to the Collagen extracellular matrix. The β-TCP precursor formulations were investigated for their flow-ability at various temperatures, which optimized for fabrication of 3D printed scaffolds with interconnected porosity. The hybrid constructs were characterized by 3D laser scanning microscopy, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and compressive strength testing. The in vitro characterization of scaffolds revealed that the hybrid β-TCP/Collagen constructs offer superior DPCs proliferation and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity compared to the 3D-printed β-TCP scaffold over three weeks. Moreover, it was found that the incorporation of TCP into the Collagen matrix improves the ALP activity. The presented results converge to suggest the developed 3D-printed β-TCP/Collagen hybrid constructs as a new platform for osteoblastic differentiation of DPCs for craniomaxillofacial bone regeneration.