A novel bioactive porous CaSiO3 scaffold for bone tissue engineering

The aim of this study was to fabricate bioactive porous CaSiO3 scaffolds and examine their effects on proliferation and differentiation of osteoblast-like cells. In this study, porous CaSiO3 scaffolds were obtained by sintering a ceramic slip-coated polymer foam at 1350 degrees C. X-ray diffraction (XRD) of the scaffolds indicated that the products were essentially pure alpha-CaSiO3. The obtained scaffolds had a well-interconnected porous structure with pore sizes ranging from several micrometers to more than 100 mu m and porosities of 88.5 +/- 2.8%. The in vitro bioactivity of the scaffolds was investigated by soaking them in simulated body fluid (SBF) for 7 days and then characterizing them by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) analysis. The results indicated that hydroxyapatite (HAp) was formed on the surface of the scaffolds. In addition, the scaffolds were incubated in Ringer's solution at 37 degrees C to study the in vitro degradation by measurement of weight loss after incubation, which showed that the CaSiO3 scaffolds were degradable. The cellular responses to the scaffolds were assessed in terms of cell proliferation and differentiation. Osteoblast-like cells were seeded into the CaSiO3 scaffolds. SEM observations showed that there was significant cell adhesion, as the cells spread and grew in the scaffolds. In addition, the proliferation rate and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity of the cells in the scaffolds were improved as compared to the controls. These studies demonstrate initial in vitro cell compatibility and their potential application to bone tissue engineering. 0 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.