Prolongation of the degradation period and improvement of the angiogenesis of zein porous scaffolds in vivo.

Zein porous scaffolds modified with fatty acids have shown great improvement in mechanical properties and good cell compatibility in vitro, indicating the potential application as a bone tissue engineering substitute. The present study was conducted to systematically investigate whether the addition of fatty acids affects the short-term (up to 12 weeks) and long-term (up to 1 year) behaviors of scaffolds in vivo, mainly focusing on changes in the degradation period and inflammatory responses. Throughout the implantation period, no abnormal signs occurred and zein porous scaffolds modified with oleic acid showed good tolerance in rabbits, characterized by the growth of relatively more blood vessels in the scaffolds and only a slight degree of fibrosis histology. Moreover, the degradation period was prolonged from 8 months to 1 year as compared to the control. These results affirmed further that zein could be used as a new kind of natural biomaterial suitable for bone tissue engineering.