| Abstract Scope |
Osteochondral defects cause pain, reduced mobility and consequently, poor quality of life for patients. The osteochondral tissue comprises articular cartilage and subchondral bone. A challenge in natural healing of osteochondral tissue stems from the lack of blood supply in articular cartilage and the intricate hierarchical structure of osteochondral tissue. Biomimetic and hierarchical scaffolds are therefore desired for regenerating articular cartilage and subchondral bone together. This study focused on designing and 3D printing of hierarchical scaffolds composed of a chondrogenic GelMA scaffold layer for articular cartilage regeneration and an osteogenic nanoclay/PLLA/PCL scaffold layer for subchondral bone regeneration. Optimizing extrusion 3D printing with its parameters, including nozzle diameter of printing head, printing speed, print line spacing, scaffold height, etc., allowed fabrication of hierarchical scaffolds with high resolution and fidelity. The biomimetic hierarchical scaffolds exhibited good structural integrity, sufficient mechanical properties and favorable cell behavior, showing their promise for osteochondral tissue regeneration. |