3D-printed β-TCP/S53P4 bioactive glass scaffolds coated with tea tree oil: Coating optimization, in vitro bioactivity and antibacterial properties

Bone infection treatment is a significant challenge for the orthopedic field. 3D printing is a promising technology to produce scaffolds with customized architecture, able to stimulate and support bone growth. beta-TCP and S53P4 bioactive glass (BG) are well-known biomaterials for scaffold manufacturing. However, a multifunctional scaffold, able to inhibit microbial proliferation at the defect site, is of increasing interest to avoid infection recurrence. Tea tree oil (TTO) has aroused interest as an antimicrobial agent to minimize the use of antibiotics. Therefore, combining the regenerative potential of a bioceramic with TTO's antimicrobial properties could result in a scaffold capable of stimulating tissue growth and treating infections. In this context, this study aimed to produce and characterize 3D-printed beta-TCP/S53P4 BG scaffolds coated with TTO. Scaffolds morphological and chemical characterizations were carried out through XDR, SEM, and FTIR analysis. beta-TCP/S53P4 BG scaffolds showed a compressive strength of similar to 2 MPa and 53 +/- 2% of porosity. The scaffolds were coated by two different procedures, using an ethanol/TTO (EtOH/TTO) and a gelatin/TTO (Gel/TTO) solution with 5, 10, and 15% (v/v) TTO. The addition of TTO decreased MG-63 cell viability for both coating groups, but the Gel/TTO group showed higher cell viability. The antibacterial activity of the coated scaffolds was evaluated against S. aureus and higher inhibition of colony formation was found for Gel/TTO group. Therefore, the coating with Gel/TTO was effective in terms of antibacterial activity and cell viability. Such Gel/TTO coated beta-TCP/S53P4 BG scaffolds are proposed for antibacterial bone tissue engineering.

Automated summary

Bone infection is a major challenge in orthopedics, and 3D printing can produce customized scaffolds to stimulate bone growth. The combination of bioceramics with tea tree oil as an antimicrobial agent shows potential for tissue growth stimulation and infection treatment. Coating the 3D-printed beta-TCP/S53P4 BG scaffolds with gelatin/tea tree oil exhibits good antibacterial activity and cell viability.