3D printed porous tantalum loaded with quercetin–curcumin–piperine PLGA nanoparticles for bone defect repair

The repair of irregular bone defects poses a significant challenge for orthopedic surgeons. This study presents a customizable, novel bone tissue engineering scaffold capable of promoting bone regeneration, which is composed of curcumin-quercetin-piperine-loaded poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) nanoparticles (Cur-Que-Pip-PLGA NPs) loaded onto 3D-printed porous tantalum (3DPTa). The Cur-Que-Pip-PLGA NPs were prepared via the emulsification-solvent evaporation method, and subsequently loaded onto the 3DPTa scaffold via the physical impregnation method. The morphology and structure of the composite scaffold were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and its drug release profile was evaluated via high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The biocompatibility and osteogenic potential of the scaffold were evaluated. Cell proliferation assays and live/dead cell staining demonstrated that the composite scaffold exhibited excellent biocompatibility. Both in vitro and in vivo osteogenic experiments demonstrated that the composite scaffold significantly promoted the osteogenic differentiation of MC3T3-E1 cells and new bone formation. These results indicate that this novel Cur-Que-Pip-PLGA NPs 3DPTa scaffold has excellent biocompatibility and osteogenic potential, thus representing a promising candidate material for bone defect repair.