In vitro biocompatibility study of biodegradable polyester scaffolds constructed using Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM)

The growing interest in tissue engineering has stimulated the research of biomaterials that can be used as cellular supports and/or scaffolds to subsequently stimulate and/or regenerate tissues. Based on this premise, biodegradable polyesters: amorphous Poly (Lactic-acid) (PLA) and semi-crystalline Poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL), were used for manufacturing 3D scaffolds. These structures were designed using a a free software called Rhinoceros ® version 4.0. The software parameters considered for the design of these structures were: the distance between adjacent filaments, number of layers and the filaments orientation between layers. Through this information, and using PLA and PCL filaments (with diameters 2mm ⩽ ø ⩽ 3 mm, obtained by extrusion), scaffolds were fabricated using Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM), a rapid prototyping technology. The Morphology of all structures was observed by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). To assess biocompatibility, human fibroblasts were seeded on these scaffolds, and cultured for 4 and 8 days. The biocompatibility was assessed by a metabolic activity assay based on MTT, where an increase in metabolic activity is interpreted as cell proliferation. The results led to appreciate the interaction of fibroblast cultures with these materials, with a noticeable increase in the cellular metabolism indicative of the material´s cytocompatibility and its capacity to support proliferation, making them strong candidates for tissue engineering.