  3D porous scaffolds based on agarose and nanocrystalline apatite, two
structural components that act as a temporary mineralized extracellular matrix,
were prepared by the GELPOR3D method. This shaping technology allows the
introduction of thermally-labile molecules within the scaffolds during the
fabrication procedure. An angiogenic protein, Vascular Endothelial Growth
Factor, and an antibiotic, cephalexin, loaded in mesoporous silica
nanoparticles, were included to design multifunctional scaffolds for bone
reconstruction. The dual release of both molecules showed a pro-angiogenic
behaviour in chicken embryos grown ex ovo, while, at the same time providing an
antibiotic local concentration capable of inhibiting Staphylococcus aureus
bacterial growth. In this sense, different release patterns, monitored by
UV-spectroscopy, could be tailored as a function of the cephalexin loading
strategy. The scaffold surface was characterized by a high hydrophilicity, as
determined by contact angle measurements, that facilitated the adhesion and
proliferation of preosteoblastic cells.
