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Suturable regenerated silk fibroin scaffold reinforced with 3D-printed polycaprolactone mesh: biomechanical performance and subcutaneous implantation

  • TISSUE ENGINEERING CONSTRUCTS AND CELL SUBSTRATES
  • Original Research
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Abstract

The menisci have crucial roles in the knee, chondroprotection being the primary. Meniscus repair or substitution is favored in the clinical management of the meniscus lesions with given indications. The outstanding challenges with the meniscal scaffolds include the required biomechanical behavior and features. Suturability is one of the prerequisites for both implantation and implant survival. Therefore, we proposed herein a novel highly interconnected suturable porous scaffolds from regenerated silk fibroin that is reinforced with 3D-printed polycaprolactone (PCL) mesh in the middle, on the transverse plane to enhance the suture-holding capacity. Results showed that the reinforcement of the silk fibroin scaffolds with the PCL mesh increased the suture retention strength up to 400%, with a decrease in the mean porosity and an increase in crystallinity from 51.9 to 55.6%. The wet compression modulus values were significantly different for silk fibroin, and silk fibroin + PCL mesh by being 0.16 ± 0.02, and 0.40 ± 0.06 MPa, respectively. Both scaffolds had excellent interconnectivity (>99%), and a high water uptake feature (>500%). The tissue’s infiltration and formation of new blood vessels were assessed by means of performing an in vivo subcutaneous implantation of the silk fibroin + PCL mesh scaffolds that were seeded with primary human meniscocytes or stem cells. Regarding suturability and in vivo biocompatibility, the findings of this study indicate that the silk fibroin + PCL mesh scaffolds are suitable for further studies to be carried out for meniscus tissue engineering applications such as the studies involving orthotopic meniscal models and fabrication of patient-specific implants.

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Acknowledgements

This article is a result of the project FROnTHERA (NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000023), supported by Norte Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE 2020), under the PORTUGAL 2020 Partnership Agreement, through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). This study was also supported by the FP7 Marie Curie Initial Training Network “MultiScaleHuman: Multi-scale Biological Modalities for Physiological Human Articulation” (Contract number MRTN-CT-2011-289897). The authors thank Dr. Fatima Raquel Maia, Dr. Raphael F. Canadas, Dr. Alain da Silva Morais, Dr. Sandra Pina, Dr. Isabel B. Leonor, and Ms. Teresa Oliveira for their support. I. F. Cengiz thanks the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) for the Ph.D. scholarship (SFRH/BD/99555/2014). J. M. Oliveira also thanks the FCT for the funds provided under the program Investigador FCT 2015 (IF/01285/2015). The funding sources had no role in the study design, the data collection, analysis, interpretation, or the preparation and submission of this work for publication.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. 3B’s Research Group, I3Bs – Research Institute on Biomaterials, Biodegradables and Biomimetics, University of Minho, Headquarters of the European Institute of Excellence on Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, AvePark, Parque de Ciência e Tecnologia, Zona Industrial da Gandra, 4805-017, Barco, Guimarães, Portugal

    Ibrahim Fatih Cengiz, Helder Pereira, João Espregueira-Mendes, Rui L. Reis & Joaquim Miguel Oliveira

  2. ICVS/3B’s – PT Government Associate Laboratory, Braga/Guimarães, Portugal

    Ibrahim Fatih Cengiz, Helder Pereira, João Espregueira-Mendes, Rui L. Reis & Joaquim Miguel Oliveira

  3. Ripoll y De Prado Sports Clinic: Murcia-Madrid FIFA Medical Centre of Excellence, Madrid, Spain

    Helder Pereira

  4. Orthopedic Department Centro Hospitalar Póvoa de Varzim, Vila do Conde, Portugal

    Helder Pereira

  5. Clínica do Dragão, Espregueira-Mendes Sports Centre – FIFA Medical Centre of Excellence, Porto, Portugal

    João Espregueira-Mendes

  6. Dom Henrique Research Centre, Porto, Portugal

    João Espregueira-Mendes

  7. Orthopedic Department, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal

    João Espregueira-Mendes

  8. Department of Dental Materials, School of Dentistry, Kyung Hee University, 26, Kyungheedae-ro, Dongdaemun-gu, 02477, Seoul, Republic of Korea

    Il Keun Kwon

  9. The Discoveries Centre for Regenerative and Precision Medicine, Headquarters at University of Minho, AvePark, 4805-017, Barco,Guimarães, Portugal

    Rui L. Reis & Joaquim Miguel Oliveira

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  1. Ibrahim Fatih Cengiz
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  2. Helder Pereira
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  6. Joaquim Miguel Oliveira
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Correspondence to Ibrahim Fatih Cengiz.

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Cengiz, I.F., Pereira, H., Espregueira-Mendes, J. et al. Suturable regenerated silk fibroin scaffold reinforced with 3D-printed polycaprolactone mesh: biomechanical performance and subcutaneous implantation. J Mater Sci: Mater Med 30, 63 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10856-019-6265-3

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