Polylactic Acid-Polycaprolactone Scaffolds Prepared by Porogen Leachin

Design and development of scaffolds play a crucial role in tissue engineering. In this regard, the study aims to establish the influence of porosity on the morpho-structural, physical-chemical and biochemical characteristics of the polylactic acid (PLA) and/or polycaprolactone (PCL) scaffolds, in order to be considered candidates for tissue reconstruction. The results indicated that binary PLA-PCL and PCL matrices are more suitable than PLA, due to their higher crystallization degree. FTIR results showed that the hydrogen bond preponderance decreases with the porosity, revealed by the FTIR bands displacement in the more porous samples. A 28% increase in the PLA-PCL porosity led to a decrease in crystallization by 60%, but to an increase of water, glucose and blood components uptake by 188, 178 and 28%, respectively. Moreover, PLA-PCL scaffold was more stable to the lipase action than neat PLA, as a result of the lower density of ester groups and high crystallization degree. Lactobacillus growth increases with porosity and was found to be more pronounced on PLA-PCL. All these results show that the more porosity of the binary PLA-PCL matrices, as well as of the single PLA or PCL polymers is an essential factor influencing theirs crystallinity, nutrients uptake, biodegradability and toxicity.