Fabrication of drug-eluting nano-hydroxylapatite filled polycaprolactone nanocomposites using solution-extrusion 3d printing technique

Pang Yun Chou, Ying Chao Chou, Yu Hsuan Lai, Yu Ting Lin, Chia Jung Lu, Shih Jung Liu*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal Article peer-review

25 Scopus citations

Abstract

Polycaprolactone/nano-hydroxylapatite (PCL/nHA) nanocomposites have found use in tissue engineering and drug delivery owing to their good biocompatibility with these types of applications in addition to their mechanical characteristics. Three-dimensional (3D) printing of PCL/nHA nanocomposites persists as a defiance mostly because of the lack of commercial filaments for the conventional fused deposition modeling (FDM) method. In addition, as the composites are prepared using FDM for the purpose of delivering pharmaceuticals, thermal energy can destroy the embedded drugs and biomolecules. In this report, we investigated 3D printing of PCL/nHA using a lab-developed solution-extrusion printer, which consists of an extrusion feeder, a syringe with a dispensing nozzle, a collection table, and a command port. The effects of distinct printing variables on the mechanical properties of nanocomposites were investigated. Drug-eluting nanocomposite screws were also prepared using solution-extrusion 3D printing. The empirical outcomes suggest that the tensile properties of the 3D-printed PCL/nHA nanocomposites increased with the PCL/nHA-to-dichloromethane (DCM) ratio, fill density, and print orientation but decreased with an increase in the moving speed of the dispensing tip. Furthermore, printed drug-eluting PCL/nHA screws eluted high levels of antimicrobial vancomycin and ceftazidime over a 14-day period. Solution-extrusion 3D printing demonstrated excellent capabilities for fabricating drug-loaded implants for various medical applications.

Original languageEnglish
Article number318
Pages (from-to)1-13
Number of pages13
JournalPolymers
Volume13
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - 01 02 2021

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.

Keywords

  • 3D printing
  • Drug release
  • Nano-hydroxylapatite
  • Polycaprolactone
  • Process optimization
  • Solution extrusion

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