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Computational Methodology to Determine Fluid Related Parameters of Non Regular Three-Dimensional Scaffolds

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Abstract

The application of three-dimensional (3D) biomaterials to facilitate the adhesion, proliferation, and differentiation of cells has been widely studied for tissue engineering purposes. The fabrication methods used to improve the mechanical response of the scaffold produce complex and non regular structures. Apart from the mechanical aspect, the fluid behavior in the inner part of the scaffold should also be considered. Parameters such as permeability (k) or wall shear stress (WSS) are important aspects in the provision of nutrients, the removal of metabolic waste products or the mechanically-induced differentiation of cells attached in the trabecular network of the scaffolds. Experimental measurements of these parameters are not available in all labs. However, fluid parameters should be known prior to other types of experiments. The present work compares an experimental study with a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) methodology to determine the related fluid parameters (k and WSS) of complex non regular poly(l-lactic acid) scaffolds based only on the treatment of microphotographic images obtained with a microCT (μCT). The CFD analysis shows similar tendencies and results with low relative difference compared to those of the experimental study, for high flow rates. For low flow rates the accuracy of this prediction reduces. The correlation between the computational and experimental results validates the robustness of the proposed methodology.

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Acknowledgments

The authors gratefully acknowledge research support from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation through research project DPI2010-20399-C04-01. The Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) through the CIBER initiative and the Platform for Biological Tissue Characterization of the Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red en Bioingeniería, Biomateriales y Nanomedicina (CIBER-BBN) are also gratefully acknowledged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Group of Structural Mechanics and Materials Modelling (GEMM), University of Zaragoza, Edificio Agustín de Betancourt, María de Luna 7, 50018, Zaragoza, Spain

    Víctor Andrés Acosta Santamaría, A. Duizabo, A. Mena Tobar, M. Doblaré & I. Ochoa

  2. Aragon Institute of Technology (ITA), Zaragoza, Spain

    Víctor Andrés Acosta Santamaría

  3. Aragón Institute of Engineering Research (I3A), University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain

    M. Malvè, J. M. García Aznar, M. Doblaré & I. Ochoa

  4. Centro de Investigación Biomédica en Red en Bioingeniería, Biomateriales y Nanomedicina (CIBER-BBN), Aragon Institute of Health Sciences, Zaragoza, Spain

    M. Malvè, A. Mena Tobar, G. Gallego Ferrer, J. M. García Aznar, M. Doblaré & I. Ochoa

  5. Departamento de Ingeniería Mecánica, Energética y de Materiales, Universidad Pública de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain

    M. Malvè

  6. Centro de Biomateriales e Ingeniería Tisular, Universitat Politècnica de València, Valencia, Spain

    G. Gallego Ferrer

  7. Multiscale in Mechanical and Biological Engineering (M2BE), University of Zaragoza, Zaragoza, Spain

    J. M. García Aznar

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  1. Víctor Andrés Acosta Santamaría
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  2. M. Malvè
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  6. J. M. García Aznar
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  8. I. Ochoa
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Correspondence to Víctor Andrés Acosta Santamaría.

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Associate Editor Stefan Jockenhoevel oversaw the review of this article.

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Acosta Santamaría, V.A., Malvè, M., Duizabo, A. et al. Computational Methodology to Determine Fluid Related Parameters of Non Regular Three-Dimensional Scaffolds. Ann Biomed Eng 41, 2367–2380 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10439-013-0849-8

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