MECHANICAL AND IN VITRO ANALYSIS OF 3D PRINTED POROUS STRUCTURES OF TPU/FILLERS COMPOSITES FOR BONE REGENERATION

• Grant number: 25/00892-6
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate
• Start date: July 01, 2025
• End date: June 30, 2026
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Materials and Metallurgical Engineering - Nonmetallic Materials
• Principal Investigator: Luiz Antonio Pessan
• Grantee: Leonardo Alves Pinto
• Supervisor: Pedro Lopes Granja
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Exatas e de Tecnologia (CCET). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Universidade do Porto (UP), Portugal
• Associated to the scholarship: 22/16119-6 - Bioactive porous structures with high content of bioactive fillers for bone regeneration via 3D printing, BP.DR

Abstract

Orthopedic procedures for bone repairs are in increasing demand due to the increase in the elderly population and the number of people who have suffered traffic accidents, cancer, and bone disorders. Autogenous bone grafting is the gold standard in surgical techniques for reconstructing bone defects and injuries that have reached a critical size. However, this practice is limited by the amount of bone available for donation, in addition to generating larger surgical interventions. In this perspective, developing 3D-printed porous structures suitable for bone tissue regeneration is considered of social and technological importance. This project aims to evaluate porous structures developed via 3D printing of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) composites with high biofiller content, Hydroxyapatite, and Biosilicate® in the osteogenic behavior with mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). The research will follow in vitro study protocols with protein adsorption tests, MSC proliferation with alamar blue and LIVE/DEAD assays, and differentiation with alizarin red S assay, alkaline phosphatase activity, and bone-related gene expression of the cells through real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). The mechanical properties under cyclic compression of the structures and in vitro degradation in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) will also be evaluated.