Targeting Calcium Magnesium Silicates for Polycaprolactone/Ceramic Composite Scaffolds

Because the natural mechanical strength of materials is highly dependent on the crystal structure, four different silicate-derived ceramics-diopside, akermanite, monticellite, and merwinite-have been synthesized and evaluated for their potential as bone augments and grafts. This sparks our interest in the fabrication of polycaprolactone (PCL)/ceramic composites for potential use as scaffolds. Diopside, which possesses the most three-dimensional structure among the four, shows the highest mechanical strength and stable structure in physiological solution when added to polycaprolactone in high concentration. In turn, the incorporation of merwinite into composite scaffolds led to materials that had poor mechanical strength and were unstable in physiological environments when ceramic concentration reaches over 50%. Cyto-compatibility and osteogenic studies of the four ceramics revealed that each ceramic is cytocompatible and supports human adipose derived stem cells (hASCs) proliferation in stromal medium. Akermanite and monticellite exhibit better osteogenic properties than diopside and merwinite, suggesting that they might be the optimal material for fabricating bone scaffolds.