This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Liu, L. Articles by Yongnian Yan Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

A Novel Osteochondral Scaffold Fabricated via Multi-nozzle Low-temperature Deposition Manufacturing

Department of Mechanical Engineering, Tsinghua University Key Laboratory for Advanced Materials Processing Technology Ministry of Education, Beijing 100084, P.R. China

Zhuo Xiong

Department of Mechanical Engineering, Tsinghua University Key Laboratory for Advanced Materials Processing Technology Ministry of Education, Beijing 100084, P.R. China, xiongzhuo99{at}mails.tsinghua.edu.cn

Renji Zhang

Department of Mechanical Engineering, Tsinghua University Key Laboratory for Advanced Materials Processing Technology Ministry of Education, Beijing 100084, P.R. China

Le Jin

Department of Mechanical Engineering, Tsinghua University Key Laboratory for Advanced Materials Processing Technology Ministry of Education, Beijing 100084, P.R. China

Yongnian Yan

Department of Mechanical Engineering, Tsinghua University Key Laboratory for Advanced Materials Processing Technology Ministry of Education, Beijing 100084, P.R. China

A functional-region/separate-interface/single-cell-type of tissue engineering pathway was evaluated to regenerate osteochondral defects that are deep in the marrow cavity. A gradient osteochondral scaffold fabricated via a rapid prototyping technology, called multi-nozzle low-temperature deposition manufacturing, was composed of three parts with different materials and pore-structures, respectively, for bone, cartilage and a separate interface between them. The separate interface was composed of micro-pores, that were less than 5 µm and with low porosity, to reduce or to avoid the destruction of the micro-environment in vivo by preventing blood and cells and reducing the amount of oxygen and nutrients moving from the marrow cavity to the articulate marrow. The preliminary results after 6 weeks of implantation into 4 mm diameter osteochondral defects in the knee joints of rabbits showed that the defects with the scaffold/cells composition had bone-like or cartilage-like tissue filling the defects with smooth surface, while the defects with nothing (blank) showed only fibrous tissue.

Key Words: tissue engineering • rapid prototyping • osteochondral • separate interface • low-temperature deposition • bone-like tissue • cartilage-like tissue.

Journal of Bioactive and Compatible Polymers, Vol. 24, No. 1 Suppl, 18-30 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/0883911509102347


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?