Chemical modification of poly ε-caprolactone with wollastonite and its influence on biological properties of osteoblast like-cells MG-63

PCL (poly-ε-caprolactone) is a biocompatible and biodegradable polymer of aliphatic polyester group. However, PCL does not effectively bind to the bone in contrast to bioactive inorganic compounds such as wollastonite. For this wollastonite (WS) is regarded as a potential bioactive material for bone tissue engeenering although its main drawback is brittlennes. Therefore we synthesized polymer nanocomposite materials composed of poly-ε-caprolactone and wollastonite (PCL/wollastonite) containing either 0.5% or 5% of the latter modifying filler. And we aimed to verify biological properties of the nanocomposite PCL/WS materials, in comparison to the pure PCL, on cultures of osteoblast-like cells MG-63. The study revealed that the adherence of the osteoblast-like cells to the tested materials was enhanced by the PCL modification (PCL/5WS > PCL/0.5WS > PCL) while cell viability/proliferation was not altered. Furthermore, the activity of alkaline phosphatase indicative of osteoblast differentiation (maturation) was enhanced when the cells were cultured with either PCL/5WS or PCL/0.5WS. Overall, our results indicate that PCL-modified wollastonite improves biological properties of the basic biomaterial suggesting its potential usefulness/application for the bone tissue regeneration.