Effect of pore architecture on the mesenchymal stem cell responses to graphene/polycaprolactone scaffolds prepared by solvent casting and robocasting

Abstract

In the study graphene-containing porous, three dimensional polycaprolactone (PCL) scaffolds were prepared by solvent casting-salt leaching and robocasting methods for tissue engineering applications. Graphene nanopowders in the form of nanoflakes were incorporated into the polymer matrix at different concentrations namely 1, 3, 5 and 10 wt%. The dichloromethane was used as the solvent and sodium chloride crystals were utilized as the water-soluble porogen for the formation of an interconnected porous network (with non-oriented pores) inside the composite scaffolds in solvent casting-salt leaching method. On the other hand, acetone was utilized as solvent and PCL solutions were prepared at 20 wt% in robocasting method to construct scaffolds (with oriented pores) having a grid-like structure. The biological response of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells seeded on these composite constructs having different architecture were tested using MTT method, live-dead cell viability assay and Alcian blue stanining. Cytotoxicity experiments revealed that mesenchymal stem cells did not show toxic response to composite robocast scaffolds. Cells proliferate and differentiate well on the surface of the robocast scaffolds compared to solvent-cast scaffolds under the same conditions. Results showed that scaffolds prepared in the study have potential to be used in cartilage tissue engineering in the presence of electric stimulation. © 2019, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.