Porous Li-containing biphasic calcium phosphate scaffolds fabricated by three-dimensional plotting for bone repair

A well-designed scaffold with accurately controlled structure, pore size as well as interconnection plays a key role in tissue engineering. In this study, porous Li-containing biphasic calcium phosphate scaffolds (Li-BCP) with expected structure were fabricated successfully by 3D plotting technique. The results of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and micro-CT indicated that scaffolds from 3D plotting possessed an elaborate pore structure, porosity and interconnection. Besides, Li-BCP scaffolds also possessed excellent mechanical strength. Furthermore, in vitro cell experiments confirmed that mouse bone mesenchymal stem cells (mBMSCs) cultured on Li-BCP scaffolds exhibited good adhesion and spreading. Moreover, Li-BCP scaffolds could efficaciously promote the proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of mBMSCs, demonstrating their potential applicability as a candidate for bone repair applications.