Early osteointegration evaluation of porous Ti6Al4V scaffolds designed based on triply periodic minimal surface models

In this study, we designed graded porous structures using triply periodic minimal surface models to mimic the biomechanical properties of bone and evaluated the mechanical properties and bone formation ability. The scaffolds were designed using a P-surface with different pore sizes. All materials were fabricated using three-dimensional printing technology, and the mechanical properties were tested by an electronic universal testing device. The biomechanical properties were then analysed by the finite element method, while the ontogenesis of the material in vivo was examined by implanting the scaffolds for five weeks in pigs. According to the obtained results, the pore size ranged from 100 μm to about 700 μm, and porosity was around 49.54%. The graded porous architectures can decrease the stiffness of implants and reduce the stress shielding effect. In addition, these porous structures can stimulate bone ingrowth and achieve a stable interface between implants and surrounding bone tissues after 5 weeks of implantation. The micro–computed tomography results also demonstrated the obvious bone formation around all the porous structures. To sum up, the triply periodic minimal surface–based graded porous structure is effective in decreasing the stress shielding effect, promoting early osteointegration. This is the first research to explore the effect of this kind of porous structures on bone formation in vivo where the obtained results supported the previous theoretical...
Source: Journal of Orthopaedic Translation - Category: Orthopaedics Source Type: research