Material Properties and Cellular Toxicity of 3D Scaffolds Based on Poly(ester-urethane) and Titania/Titanate Nanotubes

The literature on techniques for creating 3D scaffolds in tissue engineering (TE) includes methods such as electrospinning, solvent casting, freeze-drying, salt leaching, and 3D printing, among others. These techniques, used individually or in combination, produce suitable scaffolds from different materials for the reconstruction of damaged tissues. The search for materials that fulfill the function of the tissues to be reconstructed makes the design, development, and evaluation of their physicochemical properties a relevant topic of study in tissue engineering. In this work, scaffolds with three-dimensional structures based on poly (ester-urethane) and a mixture of titania and titanate nanotube (TNT) composites (1, 5, and 10 wt.% of nanotubes) were obtained. The materials showed characteristic bands due to both polymeric and titania/titanate phases (observed by Raman and FT-IR spectroscopy). Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) analysis showed irregular porosity with pore sizes ranging from 8 to 700 µm. Also, mechanical testing showed tensile strength values of 3.3 to 5.31 MPa and Young’s modulus values of 18 to 28.8 MPa. The scaffolds were produced by a combination of freeze-drying followed by salt leaching techniques. In vitro biological assays using human osteoblast-like cells demonstrated that the materials were non-cytotoxic and supported cell viability, with excellent cell attachment and thermal stability for their intended application in tissue regeneration.