Cellular integration and vascularisation promoted by a resorbable, particulate-leached, cross-linked poly(ε-caprolactone) scaffold.

ABSTRACT

Flexible, strong scaffolds were created by crosslinking PCL with 1,6-hexamethylenediisocyanate, using paraffin beads as a porogen. Particulate leaching generated homogeneous scaffolds with interconnected spherical pores of 5-200 µm. Subcutaneous implantation in rats for 3 months resulted in minimal scaffold resorption and a non-inflammatory regenerative host response, with complete infiltration by alternatively-activated CD68(+) macrophages. In addition, scaffolds were populated extensively along microfractures by a stromal matrix, which was highly vascularised and contained a subset of stromal cells that expressed the anti-inflammatory CD163 antigen. Such microfractures may be an important physical feature for directing stromal integration and vascularisation events.