Synchrotron radiation based microcomputed tomography (SR-μCT) has become a valuable tool for the structural analysis of different types of biomaterials. This methodology allows the non-destructive investigation of specimens in their three-dimensional context. In the present paper, articular cartilage is taken as an exemplary tissue to demonstrate the suitability of the SR-μCT method for the investigation of biomaterials for different tissue engineering approaches. Thus, a biodegradable scaffold for cartilage tissue engineering in different modifications was analysed. Using enhanced phase contrast imaging, it was possible to demonstrate single cells without further metal staining. The three-dimensional data acquired for each investigated sample allowed qualitative and quantitative analyses without irreversibly damaging the samples. The use of the phase contrast mode enables the analysis of single cells within a scaffold material even under mechanical stimulation. This opens up innovative perspectives for the future study of the behaviour of cells in their three-dimensional environment and the non-destructive study of morphogenesis in cell–scaffold constructs.
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