Effect of in vitro enzymatic degradation on 3D printed poly(ε-caprolactone) scaffolds: morphological, chemical and mechanical properties

In recent years, the tissue engineering (TE) field has significantly benefited from advanced techniques such as additive manufacturing (AM), for the design of customized 3D scaffolds with the

All of these results suggest that PCL scaffolds undergo enzymatic degradation through a surface erosion mechanism, which leads to significant variations in mechanical, physical and chemical properties, but which has little influence on pore geometry.

Methods: Morphological properties of 3D printed PCL scaffolds before and after degradation were evaluated using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and micro-computed tomography (μ-CT). Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC) was employed to determine possible variations in the crystallinity of the scaffolds during the degradation period. The molecular weight was assessed using Size Exclusion Chromatography (SEC) while the mechanical properties were investigated under static compression conditions.

Morphological results suggested a uniform reduction of filament diameter, while increasing the scaffolds' porosity. DSC analysis revealed and increment in the crystallinity degree while the molecular weight, evaluated through SEC, remained almost constant during the incubation period (25 days). Mechanical analysis highlighted a decrease in the compressive modulus and maximum stress over time, probably related to the significant weight loss of the scaffolds. Conclusions: All of these results suggest that PCL scaffolds undergo enzymatic degradation through a surface erosion mechanism, which leads to significant variations in mechanical, physical and chemical properties, but which has little influence on pore geometry.