Solvent-assisted room-temperature compression molding approach to fabricate porous scaffolds for tissue engineering

This study investigated the room-temperature compression molding/particle leaching approach to fabricate three-dimensional porous scaffolds for tissue engineering. Scaffolds with anatomical shapes (ear, joint, tube, cylinder) were made from biodegradable poly(D,L-lactide) and poly[(D, L-lactide)-co-glycolide]. The utility of this room-temperature compression approach comes from the effect of solvent assistance, but the tendency for post-molding scaffold shrinkage is a problem unique to this method and is thus examined with emphasis in this paper. Scaffold shrinkage was found to be tolerable under normal fabrication conditions with high salt contents, which is just what the preparation of highly porous scaffolds requires. Furthermore, the resultant porosities after salt leaching were measured as well as the initial scaffold shrinkages after solvent evaporation, and the relation between them was revealed by theoretical analysis and confirmed by comparison with experimental measurements. The pores were interconnected, and porosity can exceed 90%. The effects of porosity on the mechanical properties of porous scaffolds were also investigated. This convenient fabrication approach is a prospective method for the tailoring of porous scaffolds for a variety of possible applications in tissue engineering and tissue reconstruction.