The influence of different geometries of matrix/scaffold on the remodeling process of a bone and bioresorbable material mixture with voids

Since internal architecture greatly influences crucial factors for tissue regeneration, such as nutrient diffusion, cell adhesion and matrix deposition, scaffolds have to be carefully designed, keeping in mind case-specific mechanical, mass transport and biological requirements. However, customizing scaffold architecture to better suit conflicting requirements, such as biological and mechanical ones, remains a challenging issue. Recent advances in printing technologies, together with the synthesis of novel composite biomaterials, have enabled the fabrication of various scaffolds with defined shape and controlled in vitro behavior. Thus, the influence of different geometries of the assemblage of the matrix and scaffold on the remodeling processes of living bone and artificial material should be investigated. To this end, two implant shapes are considered in this paper, namely a circular inclusion and a rectangular groove of different aspect ratios. A model of a mixture of bone tissue and bioresorbable material with voids was used to numerically analyze the physiological balance between the processes of bone growth and resorption and artificial material resorption in a plate-like sample. The adopted model was derived from a theory for the behavior of porous solids in which the matrix material is elastic and the interstices are void of material.