Fabrication and degradation of poly(l-lactic acid) scaffolds with wool keratin

As a natural protein, wool keratin was used to improve the cell affinity of poly(l-lactic acid) (PLLA). Small keratin particles were prepared from keratin solution by the spray-drying process. Keratin particles were blended with PLLA/1,4-dioxane solution and paraffin micro-spheres which were used as progens. After the mixture was molded and dried, the paraffin micro-spheres were removed by cyclohexane. PLLA/keratin scaffolds with controlled pore size and well interconnectivity were fabricated. Keratin releasing rate was detected by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) after the scaffold was immersed into PBS up to 4 weeks. The surface chemical structure was examined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscope (XPS). The results suggested that the keratin could be held into the scaffold which was expected to improve the interactions between osteoblasts and the polymeric scaffolds.