A new concept for a drug releasing modular scaffold

• Innovative scaffold made of embroidered suture material.
• Coated with a polymeric drug delivery system.
• Coating properties influences resulting coating mass.
• Controlled and adjustable drug release.

The functionalization of synthetic biodegradable scaffolds with bioactive factors may enhance bone regeneration. Embroidered scaffold discs made of polycaprolactone-co-lactide (PCL) fibers were coated with poly(d,l-lactide) (PDLLA) as a drug carrier. The viscosity of the coating solution was varied, and gentamicin (as a hypothetical model substance) was incorporated into these coatings to study drug release kinetics. By increasing the viscosity of the coating solution, the amount of drug carrier on the scaffolds increased while porosity decreased. Independent of the coating solution viscosity, the mechanical properties of the scaffolds increased after coating. It could be seen that distinct release kinetics can be designed. This scaffold system can be conceptualized modularly, where individual discs coated with different factors, possessing distinct release kinetics can be combined and varied to enhance tissue regeneration.

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