Dual effects of biomimetic wave-microgrooved polycaprolactone membranes: Enhancement of osteogenesis and suppression of osteoclastogenesis

Tissue engineering scaffolds with precisely engineered surface topographies have emerged as critical tools for the spatiotemporal regulation of cellular behavior in bone regeneration. Here, we propose a biomimetic approach for replicating the curvilinear architecture of native osteons through soft lithography and melt casting to fabricate polycaprolactone (PCL) membranes featuring wave-patterned microgrooves with three geometrically graded dimensions and a uniform depth of 10 μm: L1 (inner radius: 10 μm, outer radius: 20 μm), L2 (30 μm/60 μm), and L3 (60 μm/120 μm). The experimental results revealed that the wave microgrooves enhanced cell proliferation to varying degrees and that the cells utilized contact guidance to grow along the wave microgroove topographies. MC3T3-E1 cells showed more pronounced nuclear deformation in the L2 and L3 groups, while RAW264.7 cells displayed greater deformation in the L1 and L2 groups. Notably, the L3 configuration (60 μm/120 μm) demonstrated optimal dual functionality, synergistically promoting osteogenesis while inhibiting osteoclastogenesis. This unique combination of properties highlights the potential of this PCL-based guided bone regeneration (GBR) membrane for enhanced bone repair applications.