In recent years, attempts were made to develop biomaterials using synthetic and natural polymers to induce osteogenesis of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs). Poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) is one of the few synthetic polymers with the potential to differentiate hMSCs to bone. However, its potential is limited, attributed to its low strength
its fast crystallization rate also compromises its dimensional stability. Polylactic acid (PLA) is another synthetic biocompatible polymer with low crystallinity and high rigidity widely used in biomedical engineering. It's commonly added to PCL to limit its shrinkage. However, they are incompatible. Here, the PCL: PLA (70: 30) blend was prepared and three PCL-PEG