Using porous bioceramic scaffolds to model healthy and osteoporotic bone

Bioceramics are clinically used as implantable materials to alleviate pain and restore function to diseased or damaged hard tissues in the body. Bone is especially vulnerable to deterioration and fracture in elderly people because of a loss of bone mass and strength with age (osteoporosis). The goal of this research work is to design and fabricate 3-D bioceramic scaffolds with different pore/strut features that can mimic the architecture of both healthy and osteoporotic bone. The scaffolds were fabricated by sponge replica method using a SiO2–P2O5–CaO–MgO–Na2O–K2O bioactive glass (CEL2) as starting material. Key processing parameters were systematically varied and their influence on the architectural and mechanical features of the scaffolds was assessed. Porosity-strength relationship was studied and modelled byusing the theory of cellular solid mechanics. These glass-ceramic scaffolds open new perspectives for bone regenerative approaches and could act as model substrates for a more accurate investigation of bone pathologies.