Macroporous monetite scaffold for bone tissue engineering

Three dimensional scaffolds based on ceramics, polymers and or composites in combination with mesenchymal stem cells can be utilized to engineer tissues such as bone and cartilage [1]. One of the main limitations of 3D constructs is the mass transfer involved during in vitro culture which results in limited cell growth within the 3D construct. The production of clinically relevant hybrids of the scaffold is also limited by the supply of oxygen and transport of nutrients within the 3D scaffold. Bioreactors that permit the perfusion of medium through the scaffolds thus diminish the mass transfer limitations and in addition mechanical forces are exerted due to fluid flow. In this study a macroporous monetite (CaHPO4) scaffold was produced and characterized, which was then set up in a bioreactor under fluid flow conditions to ascertain the effect of the dynamic conditions in guiding mesenchymal stem cells towards osteogenic lineage.