3D-printed starfish CaCO3/polycaprolactone scaffolds with enhanced in vitro osteogenesis for bone tissue engineering

The development of marine-derived biomaterials has emerged as a promising approach for creating sustainable and biocompatible materials for tissue engineering. Marine organisms possess unique compositions and hierarchical structures that can inform next-generation scaffolds for bone regeneration. In this study, we developed a three-dimensional scaffold composed of polycaprolactone (PCL) and calcium carbonate (CC) derived from the marine organism Crossaster papposus japonicus (CCJ). Structural characterization using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction confirmed that CCJ has high crystallinity and is chemically comparable to commercial CC. In vitro assays using MC3T3-E1 pre-osteoblasts demonstrated excellent biocompatibility, significantly increased alkaline phosphatase activity, and enhanced calcium deposition, indicating osteogenic differentiation. Integrating biodegradable PCL with marine-derived CCJ yielded a bio-functional scaffold with strong potential for bone tissue engineering. Overall, these findings highlight marine-integrated sustainable biomaterials as alternatives for the designing cost-effective and environmentally responsible scaffolds for guided bone regeneration.