Polycaprolactone coated porous tricalcium phosphate scaffolds for controlled release of protein for tissue engineering

Polycaprolactone (PCL) was coated on porous tricalcium phosphate (TCP) scaffolds to achieve controlled protein delivery. Porous TCP scaffolds were fabricated using reticulated polyurethane foam as sacrificial scaffold with a porosity of 70-90 vol %. PCL was coated on sintered porous TCP scaffolds by dipping-drying process. The compressive strength of TCP scaffolds increased significantly after PCL coating. The highest strength of 2.41 MPa at a porosity of 70% was obtained for the TCP scaffold coated with 5% PCL solution. Model protein bovine serum albumin (BSA) was encapsulated efficiently within the PCL coating. The amount of BSA encapsulation was controlled by varying proteins' composition in the PCL coating. The FTIR analysis confirmed that BSA retained its structural conformation and did not show significant denaturization during PCL coating. The release kinetics in phosphate buffer solution indicated that the protein release was controlled and sustained, and primarily dependant on protein concentration encapsulated in the PCL coating.