MESHED SCAFFOLDS MADE OF α, α′ -BIS(2-HYDROXYETHYL METHACRYLATE) POLY(ETHYLENE GLYCOL) THROUGH 3D STEREOLITHOGRAPHY

Abstract

Recent development of tissue engineering scaffolds that mimic anatomical structures exhibits a tendency to use rapid prototyping technology, because it can be applied to precisely manufacture the designed objects from the computer-generated model. Among all of rapid prototyping approaches, combining with lithography is characterized with a high throughput of fabrication, especially for the fabrication of polymeric scaffolds. In this study, the aims were to: (1) synthesize the 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA)-capped poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), which served as the cross-linker of the continuous phase of a poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) scaffold and (2) fabricate the composite scaffolds through stereolithography. The synthetic process of the cross-linker was traced, and the end-point of the process was found to lie in 3 to 4 h depending on the molecular weight of the PEG used. The chemical structure of the cross-linker was found to be linear and symmetric to PEG and with a 1:2 molar ratio of PEG and HEMA. It was anticipated to form an interpenetrating network upon irradiating under UV light with PLGA serving as the main body of the scaffold. PEG1000–HEMA had better biocompatibility than those with shorter PEG chains. Scaffolds with two structural variants, square and hexagonal pores, designed by computer were demonstrated. It may further combine medical images to reconstruct tissues and organs for regenerative medicine.