Dr. Lilian de Siqueira

Visiting Researcher (Federal University of São Paulo, Brazil)

3D printing of β-TCP/Curcumin scaffolds as a drug delivery system for bone regeneration

 

Supervisor in Erlangen: Prof. Dr. Aldo R. Boccaccini

Supervisor in Brazil: Prof. Dr. Eliandra de Sousa Trichês

The growing clinical need in the field of filling bone defects leads to the development of scaffolds that, in addition to stimulating bone regeneration, can act as temporary models for vascularized bone growth. Such scaffolds can perform  as drug delivery systems acting in the control of inflammatory processes associated with diseases such as osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis, and bone cancer [1]. Among the materials used to manufacture scaffolds, β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP, Ca₃(PO₄)₂) stands out due to its excellent biocompatibility and chemical composition similar to the mineral phase in bone tissue. However, to add new properties and physical-chemical characteristics to this material, curcumin can be added to β-TCP as a potential herbal agent with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antitumor, and antibacterial effects [2,3]. The objective of this work is to obtain and characterize sinter-free β-TCP scaffolds by 3D printing loaded with curcumin (β-TCP/CUR). These scaffolds are expected to stimulate rapid bone regeneration when implanted and act as a drug-delivery device. This project is funded by the Coordenation for the Improvement of Higher Education Personal, Brazil (Capes/Probral) and by the FAU Institute of Biomaterials.

[1]       Roy, S., Mukherjee, P., Kumar, P., Ghosh, P. R., Datta, P., Kundu, B., Nandi, S. K. (2021). Materials Today Communications, 27: 102424. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mtcomm.2021.102424

[2]       Stanic, Z. (2018). Journal of Food and Nutrition Research.57:109e29.

[3]       Bhattacharjee, A., Jo, Y., Bose, Susmita. (2023). J. Mater. Chem. B. Accepted Manuscript. https://doi.org/10.1039/D2TB02547G