Functionalization of polycaprolactone/hydroxyapatite scaffolds with Usnea lethariiformis extract by using supercritical CO2

M. A. FANOVICH, J. IVANOVIC, I. ZIZOVIC, D. MISIC, P. JAEGER.

MATERIALS SCIENCE & ENGINEERING. C, BIOMIMETIC MATERIALS, SENSORS AND SYSTEMS

ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV

Lugar: Amsterdam; Año: 2016 vol. 58 p. 204 - 212

0928-4931

Investigation of an integrated supercritical fluid extraction and supercritical solventimpregnation process for fabrication of microporous polycaprolactone-hydroxyapatite(PCL-HA) scaffolds with antibacterial activity is presented. The HA content andparticle size as well as the operating conditions of the integrated process is optimizedregarding the amount of impregnated Usnea lethariiformis extract in thepolycaprolactone-hydroxyapatite (PCL-HA) matrix, scaffold morphology andantibacterial activity against selected MRSA strains. High pressure DSC assay revealsthat an increasing amount of HA results in decreasing melting temperature as well ascrystalinity at an operating pressure of 17 MPa. The PCL-HA composites withmicrometric sizes of the HA particles are convenient for being processed by theintegrated process due to the simple preparation, a good interaction between the PCLmatrix and filler and the advantageous impact on sorption. The scaffold obtained fromPCL-HA with 20% of the HA shows the highest impregnation yield at 17 MPa and 35ºC (5.9%) and subsequently also the best bactericidal effect on the tested MRSA strainsat an initial bacterial inocuum of 2x10-4 CFU/mL.