Ozone-treated poly-ε-caprolactone scaffolds for bone regeneration

The aim of this paper was the creation of porous 3D substrates and scaffolds of polycaprolactone (PCL) and the analysis of the effect of an ozone treatment on their performance, in collaboration with the Institute for Polymers, Composites and Biomaterials (IPCB) of the National Research Council (CNR). The nanoindentation tests showed that the substrates treated with ozone exhibit lower hardness values than the untreated ones, suggesting that the treatment carried out makes these substrates "softer". From the small punch tests carried out, very similar load-displacement curves were obtained for treated and untreated PCL substrates, characterized by an initial linear section, followed by a decrease in the slope until reaching a value maximum for the load and, finally, from a reduction of the load until failure. Tensile tests showed ductile behavior for both treated and untreated substrates. The results obtained showed that the treatment carried out with ozone does not significantly alter the values of the modulus (E) and of the maximum effort (sigma max). Finally, preliminary biological analyzes carried out on substrates and 3D scaffolds using an appropriate assay (Alamar Blue Assay), useful for determining cellular metabolic activity, showed that ozone treatment appears to improve aspects relating to cell viability/proliferation.