The present invention is of a method of manufacturing medical scaffolds and their uses in bone repair, and dental and orthopedic surgeries.
The scaffolds developed are composed of electrospun nanofibers that have a continuous or stepwise gradient of porosity, and an average pore size and weight per volume. The electrospun scaffold has a 3D structure of non-woven uniform, randomly oriented nanofibers with a diameter of 300-500 nm. Bone marrow stem cells cultured on specific scaffold compositions displayed the formation of cell clusters within five days, as compared to a control culture. The amount of osteoprogenitor cells clusters increased gradually after 10 days and up to three weeks in culture. Osteogenic cells were spread between the fibers and attached to the fibers, while a dense material resembling extracellular matrix and mineral deposition was observed between them.
The combination of the culture of osteogenic cells with an electroapun 3D scaffold provides an in vitro system that simulates the natural 3D environment that is capable of supporting bone repair.
The materials produced according to the invention can be also designed as membranes for dental and orthopedic surgeries.

Keywords: orthopaedics, bone defects, scaffold, dental, osteointegration, oral