Home

Biomaterials Translational ›› 2023, Vol. 4 ›› Issue (4): 280-290.doi: 10.12336/biomatertransl.2023.04.007

• RESEARCH ARTICLE • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Fabrication of magnesium-doped porous polylactic acid microsphere for bone regeneration

Ziwei Tao1#, Ziyang Yuan2#, Dong Zhou3#, Lang Qin1, Lan Xiao4, Shihao Zhang1, Changsheng Liu1,*(), Jinzhong Zhao2,*(), Yulin Li1,5,*()   

  1. 1 Engineering Research Centre for Biomedical Materials of Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory for Ultrafine Materials of Ministry of Education, School of Materials Science and Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, China
    2 Department of Sports Medicine, Shanghai Sixth People’s Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
    3 School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Nanchang University, Nanchang, Jiangxi Province, China
    4 School of Mechanical, Medical and Process Engineering, Center of Biomedical Technology, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia
    5 Wenzhou Institute of Shanghai University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province, China

Abstract:

Biodegradable polymer microspheres that can be used as drug carriers are of great importance in biomedical applications, however, there are still challenges in controllable preparation of microsphere surface morphology and improvement of bioactivity. In this paper, firstly, poly(L-lactic acid) (PLLA) was synthesised by ring-opening polymerisation under anhydrous anaerobic conditions and further combined with the emulsion method, biodegradable PLLA microspheres (PM) with sizes ranging from 60–100 μm and with good sphericity were prepared. In addition, to further improve the surface morphology of PLLA microspheres and enhance their bioactivity, functionalised porous PLLA microspheres loaded with magnesium oxide (MgO)/magnesium carbonate (MgCO3) (PMg) were also prepared by the emulsion method. The results showed that the loading of MgO/MgCO3 resulted in the formation of a porous structure on the surface of the microspheres (PMg) and the dissolved Mg2+ could be released slowly during the degradation of microspheres. In vitro cellular experiments demonstrated the good biocompatibility of PM and PMg, while the released Mg2+ further enhanced the anti-inflammatory effect and osteogenic activity of PMg. Functionalised PMg not only show promise for controlled preparation of drug carriers, but also have translational potential for bone regeneration.

Key words: magnesium ion, osteogenesis, polylactic acid, porous microspheres