Response of rat osteoblasts to polycaprolactone/chitosan blend porous scaffolds

Novel porous polycaprolactone/chitosan blend scaffolds were fabricated via a particle-leaching technique using hexafluoro-2-propanol as a shared solvent and salt particles as porogen. By selecting optimized processing conditions, numerous blend scaffolds were already built with well-controlled porous structures and approximately similar pore parameters. The interactions between these scaffolds and the rat osteoblasts were further investigated by measuring the adhesion, proliferation, and morphologies of cells as well as the corresponding alkaline phosphatase activity during various culture periods in vitro. Data collected from different measurements reflected that by incorporating an appropriate amount of chitosan component, the resultant blend scaffolds could improve the adhesion and growth of osteoblasts and exert a significant impact on the osteoblastic phenotype. (C) 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res 92A: 238-245, 2010