Abstract
Porous scaffolds were 3D-printed using poly lactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA)/TiO(2) composite (10:1 weight ratio) for bone tissue engineering applications. Addition of TiO(2) nanoparticles improved the compressive modulus of scaffolds. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) revealed an increase in both glass transition temperature and thermal decomposition onset of the composite compared to pure PLGA. Furthermore, addition of TiO(2) was found to enhance the wettability of the surface evidenced by reducing the contact angle from 90.5 ± 3.2 to 79.8 ± 2.4 which is in favor of cellular attachment and activity. The obtained results revealed that PLGA/TiO(2) scaffolds significantly improved osteoblast proliferation compared to pure PLGA (p < 0.05). Furthermore, osteoblasts cultured on PLGA/TiO(2) nanocomposite showed significantly higher ALP activity and improved calcium secretion compared to pure PLGA scaffolds (p < 0.05).