Biodegradable poly(ɛ-caprolactone) nanowires for bone tissue engineering applications

Critical-sized defects in bone, whether caused by cancer tumor resection, trauma, or selective surgery have in many cases presented insurmountable challenges to the current gold-standard treatment for bone repair. The primary purpose of a tissue-engineered scaffold is to incite and promote the natural healing process of bone, which does not occur in critical-sized defects. In this work, a solvent-free template synthesis technique was utilized to fabricate uniform arrays of substrate-bound poly(ɛ-caprolactone) (PCL) nanowires. Biodegradation of PCL nanowire surfaces was characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time of flight (MALDI-TOF) mass spectrometry. Rat bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) were employed to assess short-term biocompatibility and long-term bioactivity of nanowire surfaces. Short-term cell studies indicated that PCL nanowire surfaces supported enhanced cell adhesion and viability compared with control surfaces. MSCs seeded on nanowire surfaces also displayed increased levels of alkaline phosphatase (ALP) after 1, 2, and 3 weeks in culture. Calcium-phosphate mineralization was substantially accelerated on nanowire surfaces compared to control surfaces as indicated through calcium staining, von Kossa staining, SEM, and electron dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). Increased levels of inter- and extracellular levels of osteocalcin and osteopontin were observed on nanowire surfaces using immunofluorescence techniques after 3 weeks of culture. Considering the simplicity of the presented fabrication technique, capacity for solvent-free encapsulation of bioactive molecules or particles, and enhanced MSC performance on nanowire surfaces, this work presents an excellent foundation for the development of 3-D scaffolds for bone tissue regeneration.