LAUSR

Abstract We investigated the effect of varying content Sr-containing HA (SrHA) microparticles on the in vitro degradation of polycaprolactone (PCL) hybrid scaffolds. A degradation behaviour study was performed by immersing the scaffolds in phosphate buffered saline (PBS) solution at 37 °C for 24 days. To evaluate the degradation rate, the following properties of the scaffolds were investigated: water uptake, pH buffer change and relative weight loss. The addition of SrHA microparticles significantly affected the PCL degradation process due to significant changes in the morphology of the hybrid scaffolds and improved wetting behaviour. The samples with a greater content of SrHA degraded faster in comparison with those with a lower content. The degradation rate of the scaffolds was revealed to increase as follows: PCL