Abstract
In the present work, microporous membranes based on poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) and PCL functionalized withamine (PCL-DMAEA) or anhydride groups (PCL-MAGMA) were realized by solvent–non solvent phase inversionand proposed for use in Guided Tissue Regeneration (GTR). Nanowhiskers of hydroxyapatite (HA) were also incorporatedin the polymer matrix to realize nanocomposite membranes. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM)showed improved interfacial adhesion with HA for functionalized polymers, and highlighted substantial differencesin the porosity. A relationship between the developed porous structure of the membrane and the chemicalnature of grafted groups was proposed. Compared to virgin PCL, hydrophilicity increases for functionalized PCL,while the addition of HA influences significantly the hydrophilic characteristics only in the case of virgin polymer.A significant increase of in vitro degradation rate was found for PCL-MAGMA based membranes, and at lowerextent of PCL-DMAEA membranes. The novel materials were investigated regarding their potential as supportfor cell growth in bone repair using multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells (MSC) as a model. MSC platedonto the various membranes were analyzed in terms of adhesion, proliferation and osteogenic capacity that resultedto be related to chemical as well as porous structure. In particular, PCL-DMAEA and the relative nanocompositemembranes are the most promising in terms of cell-biomaterial interactions.