Effect of umbilical cord serum coated 3D PCL/alginate scaffold for mastoid obliteration

Objective: Human umbilical cord serum (hUCS) has a lot of growth factors. To date, there are no reports on stimulating effect of hUCS in osteogenesis. The purpose of this study is to evaluate enhancing effect of hUCS in osteogenesis by mastoid obliteration combined with bony scaffold. Materials and methods: The fabrication procedure for obtaining PCL/alginate/hUCS was performed. The bulla obliteration was done using PCL/alginate/hUCS in the experimental group and PCL in the control group. To assess the early active mineralization of new bone formation, guinea pigs of each group received an intraperitoneal infusion with alizarin red at 6 weeks post-surgery. The animals of each group were sacrificed 8 weeks post-surgery. Ex vivo microCT and histologic observation were performed. Results: MicroCT finding shows more radiopaque change within the pores in the experimental group compared to the control group. Stereomicroscopic and SEM findings show new bone formation of the pores in the experimental group. However, the pores between strands almost all remained in the control group. Corresponding histological observations for the stimulatory effects of hUCS showed osteogenesis in the pores between the strands compared to the control group. Conclusion: Our data suggest that hUCS coated 3D porous PCL scaffold in mastoid obliteration provides enhanced osteogenesis. Therefore, we suggest that our hUCS coated 3D porous PCL could be used in mastoid obliteration in the future.