Preparation of poly(D,L-lactic acid) scaffolds using alginate particles.

A kind of novel natural polysaccharide (sodium alginate) porogen was developed to prepare a 3D biodegradable tissue-engineering scaffold. The sodium alginate particles were prepared by emulsification and subsequent ionic gelation. The size and morphology of the alginate particles was simply controlled by the stirring rate and the concentration of the cross-linking agent. ATR-FTIR spectroscopy demonstrated the existence of alginate molecules on the surface of the PLA scaffold. The water uptake of the scaffold made from alginate particles was obviously improved compared with the scaffold fabricated by KCl porogens. A MC3T3 osteoblast culture on the scaffolds showed that the alginate-modified PLA scaffolds significantly enhanced the osteoblast adhesion and proliferation. These results indicate that the alginate particle is a good porogen in the fabrication of 3D scaffolds for bone tissue engineering.