Reticulated Vitreous Carbon Foams from Sucrose: Promising Materials for Bone Tissue Engineering Applications
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Article www.springer.com/13233 pISSN 1598-5032 eISSN 2092-7673
Reticulated Vitreous Carbon Foams from Sucrose: Promising Materials for Bone Tissue Engineering Applications Natalia Terán Acuña*,1,2 Viviana Güiza-Argüello*,1 Elcy Córdoba-Tuta*,1
1
Grupo de Investigación en Desarrollo y Tecnología de Nuevos Materiales. Universidad Industrial de Santander, Bucaramanga-Colombia 2 Grupo de Investigación de las Ciencias de las Ingenierías. Facultad de Ingenierías. Universidad de San Buenaventura, Cartagena-Colombia Received August 28, 2019 / Revised May 24, 2020 / Accepted June 1, 2020
Abstract: Reticulated vitreous carbon (RVC) foams have shown favorable biocompatibility and the potential to support osteoblastic adhesion. In this work, RVC foams were fabricated via template route, using a low-cost sucrose-based resin. The effect of several process parameters, such as template porosity (cell size between 500 and 1400 µm) and carbonization conditions, were studied. The resulting RVC foams displayed highly interconnected porosity (˃ 85%) with controllable cell size, bone-like morphology, and compressive strength of 0.06-0.26 MPa. The results suggested that the decrease in the cell size of the sacrificial sponge, the increase in the thickness of the sponge cell ligaments, and the carbonization temperature of 1500 °C, contributed to the enhancement of the mechanical response of the fabricated scaffolds. Finally, cytotoxicity and cell adhesion assays were carried out using normal human osteoblasts as a preliminary assessment of the cytocompatibility of the synthesized RVC foams. Although the mechanical strength of these foams could still be improved, these results contribute towards the development of low-cost bioactive scaffolds that resemble the morphological properties of the trabecular bone. Keywords: cytotoxicity, mechanical strength, porosity, scaffold.
1. Introduction Bone scaffolds are support porous structures which mimic pristine extracellular matrix functions for cells to approach and adhere.1,2 Several cell proliferation and differentiation processes that are required for tissue regeneration greatly depend on cellbiomaterial surface interactions. Thereby, cells such as human osteoblasts would not divide (or differentiate) or remain viable, unless these anchors are fully established.3,4 The fabrication of scaffolds that exhibit the main biomechanical and bioactivity cues that bone tissue demands, constitute one of the major challenges for orthopaedic tissue engineers. Likewise, topological properties such as pore size, shape, and interconnectivity, are key parameters for nutrient transport and new bone in-growth,5 and thus should be taken into account during scaffold design. Scaffold manufacturing processes aim at developing the appropriate material and morphology in order to help cells proliferate and thrive on them. Furthermore, scaffolds must also display mechanical properties that can support normal bone tissue loads at the implantation site.6 Acknowledgments: The authors gratefully acknowledge financial su
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