In situ magnesium phosphate/polycaprolactone 3D-printed scaffold induce bone regeneration in rabbit maxillofacial bone defect model

The development of a scaffold that can be quickly prepared and used to repair maxillofacial bone defects is an urgent clinical need. 3D printing technology can prepare personalized bone defect substitutes according to the computed tomography (CT) data of the patient's defect location. Magnesium is a bioactive molecule that plays an important role in the process of bone repair. In this study, different contents of magnesium phosphate (Mg3(PO4)2) were incorporated into polycaprolactone (PCL), and a bone defect repair scaffold was prepared using 3D printing technology. In vitro results showed that PCL scaffolds containing 20 % Mg3(PO4)2 (PCL#20MgP) had the strongest ability to promote osteogenic differentiation. Micro-CT and histological staining results of the repair of tibial defects in rats also further proved that the PCL#20MgP scaffold had strong bone formation ability in vivo. The PCL#20MgP scaffold was used to repair the rabbit maxillofacial bone defect. The Micro-CT results also confirmed that PCL#20MgP had a better osteogenesis effect than the PCL scaffold. The PCL#20MgP scaffold has good clinical application prospects in the field of maxillofacial bone defect repair.