Journal
MATERIALS & DESIGN
Volume 208, Issue -, Pages -Publisher
ELSEVIER SCI LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.matdes.2021.109877
Keywords
Hydrogels; Oxidized Alginate; Gelatine; 3D Printing; Tissue Engineering
Categories
Funding
- Deutsche Forschungsgemein-schaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) [SFB 1270/1299150580]
- project HY2Print [03XP0097C]
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This study utilized 3D printing to fabricate hierarchical scaffold structures mimicking the natural articular cartilage, demonstrating the possibility to enhance the printability of ADA-GEL hydrogels for cartilage tissue engineering. The modified formulation featuring increased gelatine amounts and heat pre-treatment showed tailorable printability characteristics and modifiable mechanical properties, providing a valuable approach for designing scaffolds without the need for additives or crosslinkers.
This work explored 3D printing to mimic the intrinsic hierarchical structure of natural articular cartilage. Alginate di-aldehyde- gelatine (ADA-GEL) hydrogel was used as ink to create hierarchically ordered scaffolds. In comparison to previously reported ADA-GEL compositions, we introduce a modified formulation featuring increased amounts of thermally modified gelatine. Gelatine was degraded by hydrolysis which resulted in tailorable printability characteristics further substantiated by rheological analysis. ADA (3.75 %w/v)-GEL (7.5 %w/v) with gelatine modified at 80 degrees C for 3 h could be printed in hierarchical complex structures reaching scaffold heights of over 1 cm. The hierarchical structure of the scaffolds was confirmed via mCT analysis. To examine mechanical properties as well as the suitability of the hydrogel as a proper matrix for cell seeding and encapsulation, nanoindentation was performed. Elastic moduli in the range of similar to 5 kPa were measured. Gelatine heat pre-treatment resulted in modifiable mechanical and rheological characteristics of ADA-GEL. In summary, this study demonstrates the possibility to enhance the printability of ADA-GEL hydrogels to fabricate hierarchical scaffold structures with shape stability and fidelity, without the necessity to change the initial hydrogel chemistry by the use of additives or crosslinkers, providing a valuable approach for fabrication of designed scaffolds for cartilage tissue engineering. (C) 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.
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