Boron nitride-based nano-biocomposites: Design by 3D printing for bone tissue engineering

Habib Belaid (1, 2) , Sakthivel Nagarajan (1) , Carole Barou (1, 2) , Vincent Huon (3) , Jonathan Barés (3) , Sebastien Balme (1) , Philippe Miele (1) , David Cornu (1) , Vincent Cavaillès (2) , Catherine Teyssier (2) , Mikhael Bechelany (1)

1 IEM - Institut Européen des membranes
2 IRCM - U1194 Inserm - UM - Institut de Recherche en Cancérologie de Montpellier
3 COMPEX - Expérimentation & Calcul Scientifique

Here, we produced a synthetic polymer having adequate biocompatibility, biodegradability, and bioresorbability, as well as mechanical properties for applications in bone tissue engineering. We used the fused deposition modeling (FDM) based 3D printing approach in order to produce biomimetic biodegradable scaffolds made of polylactic acid (PLA). We strengthened these scaffolds by addition of exfoliated boron nitride (EBN) as filler. We demonstrated the presence of EBN by physicochemical analysis using Raman spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), we found that EBN incorporation did not influence the transition temperature, but reduced the polymer crystallinity. Scanning electron microscopy for morphology evaluation showed a mean scaffold pore size of 500 μm. EBN incorporation did not affect the scaffold mechanical properties (tensile test), but modified the surface roughness. Moreover, contact angle quantification indicated that the surface of PLA/EBN scaffolds was hydrophilic and that of PLA scaffolds hydrophobic. Finally, the results of the cytotoxicity, cell attachment, and proliferation experiments using MG-63 and MC3T3 cells indicated that PLA scaffolds filled with EBN were nontoxic and compatible with osteoblastic cells and also promoted the scaffold mineralization by MG-63 cells. Altogether, our results suggest that this 3D printed nanocomposite scaffold is suitable for tissue engineering.

Mots clés: polylactic acid; boron nitride; bionanocomposite; 3D printing; tissue engineering

Domaines: Polymères

Habib Belaid, Sakthivel Nagarajan, Carole Barou, Vincent Huon, Jonathan Barés, et al.. Boron nitride-based nano-biocomposites: Design by 3D printing for bone tissue engineering. ACS Applied Bio Materials, 2020, 3 (4), pp.1865-1874. ⟨10.1021/acsabm.9b00965⟩. ⟨hal-03241065⟩