Production of S53P4 bioglass/sodium alginate scaffolds using the robocasting technique: antimicrobial activity evaluation and paste rheological optimization

• Grant number: 19/19187-0
• Support type: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Effective date (Start): December 01, 2019
• Effective date (End): October 31, 2021
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Materials and Metallurgical Engineering - Nonmetallic Materials
• Principal researcher: Eliandra de Sousa Trichês
• Grantee: Rodrigo Luiz Moraes Saldanha Oliveira
• Home Institution: Instituto de Ciência e Tecnologia (ICT). Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP). Campus São José dos Campos. São José dos Campos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Over the past few years, several artificial bone grafts are being developed aiming to overcome the autologous graft limitations. Several works propose the use of tridimensional structures with high porosity, known as scaffolds, to act as a support to cell proliferation, promoting tissue regeneration in three dimensions. Among the techniques used to produce scaffolds, the robocasting, also known as 3D printing, stands out due to its high structural control and reproducibility of the results. On bone tissue engineering, the bioglass S53P4 stands out among other materials due to its high bioactivity, antimicrobial activity, osteostimulative properties and for promoting the angiogenesis, commonly being used as filling material on bone infection treatments. By combining the bioglass S53P4 and the robocasting technique, it would be possible to produce scaffolds with a great biological response and antimicrobial properties. The sintering process is necessary to promote the scaffold structural cohesion. However, concerning the bioactive glasses, this process leads to the glass crystallization, compromising its properties. Recent works show the possibility of using a cross-linked polymeric matrix to promote the structural cohesion as an alternative to the sintering process. Among the polymers used, the sodium alginate stands out for being a natural polymer highly used on the biomedical industry. In this context, this work has as objective to optimize the rheological parameters of S53P4 bioglass and sodium alginate paste, aiming to adapt it to the robocasting technique to produce sintering-free scaffolds. This way, we hope to obtain a bioactive and antimicrobial scaffold as candidate for bone tissue engineering and for bone infections treatment. (AU)