Physicochemical Properties and Cytocompatibility Assessment of Nondegradable Scaffolds for Bone Tissue Engineering Applications

Bone is a dynamic tissue with an amazing but yet limited capacity of self-healing. Bone is the second most transplanted tissue in the world and there is a huge need for bone grafts and substitutes which lead to a decrease in bone banks donors. In this study, we developed threedimensional scaffolds based on Ti6Al4V, ZrO2 and PEEK for bone tissue engineering applications. Mechanical compressive tests were performed to evaluate the elastic modulus and compressive stress. The scaffolds presented a maximized mechanical strength for load-bearing applications revealing an elastic modulus of 6.5 GPa, 9.04 GPa and 1.67 GPa minimizing the effect of stress shielding.  Overall, the scaffolds developed presented different hydrophilicity properties and an elastic modulus similar to that of bone which can minimize the phenomenon of stress shielding. Finally, their efficacy as a scaffold material for bone tissue regeneration applications was evaluated in vitro by seeding human osteosarcoma (SaOS-2) cells onto the scaffolds. Then, the successful culture of SaOS-2 cells on developed scaffolds was monitor by assessment of cell’s viability, proliferation and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity up to 14 days of culturing. The in vitro results revealed that Ti6Al4V, ZrO2 and PEEK scaffolds were cytocompatible allowing the successful culture of an osteoblastic cell line, suggesting their potential application in bone tissue engineering.