Biocompatible testing and physical properties of curdlan-grafted poly(vinyl alcohol) scaffold for bone tissue engineering

Curdlan was grafted to poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) to form a porous scaffold. The grafted PVA-curdlan 3D scaffold was then examined by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR). Grafting increased the water absorbency of the scaffold by 280%. Scanning electron microscopic (SEM) observations of the material revealed that the 3D scaffold was highly porous when it was fabricated using a homogenizer at 300rpm. Compression testing revealed that, increasing the amount of curdlan increased the strength of the 3D scaffold to 8-16×10-3MPa. Over 28days, various enzymes degraded the 3D scaffold, causing a weight loss of up to 20-40%. In vivo tests revealed favorable cell proliferation and growth in a 3D scaffold.