Sustained release of resveratrol from fused deposition modelling guided 3D porous scaffold for bone tissue engineering

To promote bone regeneration, bone tissue engineering necessitates development of a three-dimensional porous scaffold with osteoconductive, osteoinductive, and osteogenic features. In this study, a milliporous polylactic acid (PLA) scaffold was 3D printed, into which a microporous polycaprolactone scaffold releasing resveratrol was embedded. Herein, resveratrol-loaded albumin nanoparticles (RSV-Np) were synthesized, homogenously mixed with polycaprolactone (10% w/v & 12% w/v) at 2 different concentrations, and subsequently embedded into the milliporous PLA scaffold. Further, morphological analysis by field emission scanning electron microscopic (FESEM) analysis demonstrated interconnected pores measuring 100–300 µm diameter, and homogenous embedment of RSV-Np throughout the surface. In addition, XRD analysis inferred that resveratrol was present in an amorphous phase in the scaffold, which improves dissolution of the drug, thereby advantageous for drug delivery applications. Furthermore, successful incorporation of RSV-Np was validated by Raman spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The drug release study implied that RSV-Np concentration modulated the resveratrol release from scaffolds. Moreover, in vitro testing of the scaffolds for 16 days showed that resveratrol sustained release enhanced the osteogenic potential of scaffolds. In summary, such scaffolds can be a potential matrix for bone regeneration due to their inherent ability to release resveratrol in a controlled fashion.