Synthetic polymers are widely employed for bone tissue engineering due to their tunable physical properties and biocompatibility. Inherently, most of these polymers display poor antimicrobial properties. Infection at the site of implantation is a major cause for failure or delay in bone healing process and the development of antimicrobial polymers is highly desired. In this study, silver nanoparticles (AgNps) were synthesized in polycaprolactone (PCL) solution by in-situ reduction and further extruded into PCL/AgNps filaments. Customized 3D structures were fabricated using the PCL/AgNps filaments through 3D printing technique. As demonstrated by scanning electron microscopy, the 3D printed scaffolds exhibited interconnected porous structures. Furthermore, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis revealed the reduction of silver ions. Transmission electron microscopy along with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy analysis confirmed the formation of silver nanoparticles throughout the PCL matrix. In vitro enzymatic degradation studies showed that the PCL/AgNps scaffolds displayed 80% degradation in 20 days. The scaffolds were cytocompatible, as assessed using hFOB cells and their antibacterial activity was demonstrated on Escherichia coli. Due to their interconnected porous structure, mechanical and antibacterial properties, these cytocompatible multifunctional 3D printed PCL/AgNps scaffolds appear highly suitable for bone tissue engineering.

合成聚合物由于其可调节的物理性质和生物相容性而被广泛用于骨组织工程。本质上，大多数这些聚合物显示出较差的抗微生物性能。植入部位的感染是导致骨愈合过程失败或延迟的主要原因，因此非常需要开发抗菌聚合物。在这项研究中，通过原位还原在聚己内酯（PCL）溶液中合成了银纳米颗粒（AgNps），然后将其进一步挤出为PCL / AgNps长丝。使用PCL / AgNps细丝通过3D打印技术制造了定制的3D结构。如通过扫描电子显微镜所证明的，3D打印的支架展现出互连的多孔结构。此外，X射线光电子能谱分析显示银离子的还原。体外酶促降解研究表明，PCL / AgNps支架在20天内显示80％的降解。如使用hFOB细胞所评估的，支架是细胞相容的，并且其抗菌活性在大肠杆菌上得到证明。由于它们相互连接的多孔结构，机械和抗菌性能，这些细胞相容的多功能3D打印PCL / AgNps支架似乎非常适合于骨组织工程。