In Vivo Evaluation of 13-93 Bioactive Glass Scaffolds Made by Selective Laser Sintering (SLS)

Bioactive glass is a synthetic material that reacts in vivo and forms an inorganic hydroxyapatite-like (HA) phase that mimics the HA found in human bone and can stimulate osteoconduction. Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) was used to fabricate green bone scaffolds from 13-93 bioactive glass particles (\u3c75 urn) mixed with stearic acid. After heat treatment, the scaffolds had a hollow cylindrical shape that was intended to mimic the structure and mechanical properties of human trabecular bone. In vitro, the compressive strength of the SLS scaffolds was measured as a function of time for up to two months when immersed in Dulbecco\u27s Modified Eagles Medium (DMEM) at 38°C. In vivo, the cylindrical scaffolds with and without bone morphogenic protein-2 (BMP-2), were implanted in rat femurs for up to three months. The data from the in vivo study is compared to similar biodegradable polymer scaffolds treated with BMP-2 in critical sized defects in rats