An optimized beta-tricalcium phosphate and agarose scaffold fabrication technique.

Abstract

Biodegradable scaffolds composed of beta-tricalcium phosphate, and a natural hydrogel, agarose, were prepared by a shaping method based on the thermal gelation of the polymeric component. This technique was modified to facilitate the inclusion, during the scaffold preparation stage, of therapeutic agents that could improve the graft performance. Vancomycin was included in materials containing different amounts of agarose and ceramic without affecting the scaffold consolidation process. These materials, easily injectable, behave like a reinforced hydrogel whose swelling behavior and drug release rate depend on their composition.