Development of PCL/PVA/PCL Scaffold for Local Delivery of Calcium Fructoborate for Bone Tissue Engineering

Calcium fructoborate (CaFB) has gathered attention due to its boron and calcium content, both of which are known to support bone health, deposition and regeneration. Previous studies have shown that CaFB has a positive effect on bone health and has been proven to promote bone-like properties. In light of this information, a local CaFB delivering scaffold could improve bone regeneration in cases of bone tissue loss. This study aimed to design a layer-by-layer polymeric sponge capable of achieving controlled local delivery of CaFB to improve bone tissue healing. The dose-dependent effect of CaFB on the cell viability of the Saos-2 cell line was investigated in vitro. Layer by-layer structure of the polymeric scaffold supported controlled release of CaFB, with 33.9±7.4% released after 7 days of incubation. CaFB at 31.25 μg/mL concentration was able to improve Saos-2 cell viability up to 174.7±24.1% and 127.7±8.7% after 1 and 4 days of incubation. After 7 days of incubation CaFB treatment at concentrations of 250, 125, 62.5 and 31.25 μg/mL improved cell viability up to 194.3±47.7, 155.3±17.7, 149.4±5.4 and 132.5±13.3%. The polycaprolactone/polyvinyl alcohol/polycaprolactonen(PCL/PVA/PCL) scaffold supported the viability of cells for 7 days and was shown to be biocompatible. The results of this study showed that CaFB is a potential compound thatncan be locally delivered within a scaffold system to improve bone tissue regeneration.