{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,26]],"date-time":"2026-05-26T05:02:32Z","timestamp":1779771752051,"version":"3.53.1"},"reference-count":43,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"6","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,24]],"date-time":"2026-05-24T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1779580800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Bioengineering"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The present study investigated the effect of a 3D-printed nanocomposite scaffold on bone healing in vivo. The scaffolds used were made from the bioresorbable thermoplastic polycaprolactone polymer, blended with Multi-Walled Carbon Nanotubes functionalized with chitosan, and manufactured with a rectilinear infill pattern and interconnected pores of 500 \u03bcm in size. The study included three groups of 10 Wistar rats, in which a 2 mm bone defect was created in the middle of the right femur. In the scaffold\/peptide group, the gap was filled with the scaffold loaded with a peptide corresponding to human pleiotrophin amino acids 48-56 (PTN48-56), and the fracture was stabilized with a 12 mm K-wire as an intramedullary nail. In the scaffold group, the scaffold did not contain the peptide, and in the control group, the bone defect was stabilized without the use of a scaffold. Radiological examination revealed that bone healing was achieved on average in 6.6 weeks in the scaffold\/peptide group, 7.2 weeks in the scaffold group, and 8.1 weeks in the control group. Histopathological examination performed 2 weeks postoperatively showed that angiogenesis in the scaffold\/peptide group was 1.5 times higher than in the scaffold group and 2.5 times higher than in the control group. In conclusion, our osteo-inductive 3D-printed scaffold covered with PTN48-56 is a promising option for accelerating bone defect healing.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/bioengineering13060608","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,25]],"date-time":"2026-05-25T02:32:28Z","timestamp":1779676348000},"page":"608","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["The Use of Osteo-Inductive 3D-Printed Scaffolds Covered with a Pleiotrophin Peptide for Bone Defects: An In Vivo Experimental Study"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"13","author":[{"given":"Dimitrios","family":"Tsoumanis","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Orthopaedics, University Hospital of Ioannina, 45110 Ioannina, Greece"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0018-4204","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Emilios E.","family":"Pakos","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Orthopaedics, University Hospital of Ioannina, 45110 Ioannina, Greece"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2541-5467","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ioannis","family":"Gkiatas","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Orthopaedics, University Hospital of Ioannina, 45110 Ioannina, Greece"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1918-9478","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ioannis","family":"Gelalis","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Orthopaedics, University Hospital of Ioannina, 45110 Ioannina, Greece"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Anna","family":"Batistatou","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Pathological Anatomy, University Hospital of Ioannina, 45110 Ioannina, Greece"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8633-7135","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Evangelia","family":"Lampri","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Pathological Anatomy, University Hospital of Ioannina, 45110 Ioannina, Greece"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Despoina","family":"Deligianni","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Mechanical Engineering and Aeronautics, University of Patras, 26504 Patras, Greece"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-6429-4325","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Evangelia","family":"Papadimitriou","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmacy, University of Patras, 26504 Patras, Greece"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7362-5082","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Dimitrios","family":"Fotiadis","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Unit of Medical Technology and Intelligent Information Systems, University of Ioannina, 45110 Ioannina, Greece"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Anastasios","family":"Korompilias","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Orthopaedics, University Hospital of Ioannina, 45110 Ioannina, Greece"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,24]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"S7","DOI":"10.1097\/BOT.0000000000001115","article-title":"Critical-Size Bone Defects: Is. 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