Gelatin/calcium phosphate cement composite scaffold with drug release ability for bone tissue engineering

The gelatin/calcium phosphate cement (CPC) composite scaffold with antibiotic release ability for bone tissue engineering was prepared by infiltration of gelatin solution containing the gentamicin sulphate (GS)-entrapped poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) microspheres into the macropores of the CPC scaffold. The morphologies of the microspheres and scaffold were observed by an electron scanning microscope，and the compressive strength and drug release of the scaffold were determined with a universal testing machine and an ultraviolet-visible spectrophotometer，respectively. The results indicate that the composite scaffold is significantly enhanced by the gelatin infiltration and a satisfying compressive strength of 2.42 MPa is achieved.  The release of GS from the scaffold lasted for over 30 days， indicating a good drug release ability. This composite scaffold is a novel tissue engineering scaffold providing dual functions of bone-repairing and infection-diminishing with promising application prospects.