Micro/Nanoarchitectonics of 3D Printed Scaffolds with Excellent Biocompatibility Prepared Using Femtosecond Laser Two-Photon Polymerization for Tissue Engineering Applications.

Yanping Yuan,Lei Chen,Jimin Chen,Ziyuan Shi

doi:10.3390/nano12030391

Yanping Yuan, Lei Chen + Show 2 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/nano12030391

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Abstract

The fabrication of high-precision scaffolds with excellent biocompatibility for tissue engineering has become a research hotspot. Two-photon polymerization (TPP) can break the optical diffraction limit and is used to fabricate high-resolution three-dimensional (3D) microstructures. In this study, the biological properties, and machinability of photosensitive gelatin methacrylate (GelMA) hydrogel solutions are investigated, and the biocompatibility of 3D scaffolds using a photosensitive GelMA hydrogel solution fabricated by TPP is also evaluated. The biological properties of photosensitive GelMA hydrogel solutions are evaluated by analyzing their cytotoxicity, swelling ratio, and degradation ratio. The experimental results indicate that: (1) photosensitive GelMA hydrogel solutions with remarkable biological properties and processability are suitable for cell attachment. (2) a micro/nano 3D printed scaffold with good biocompatibility is fabricated using a laser scanning speed of 150 μm/s, laser power of 7.8 mW, layer distance of 150 nm and a photosensitive GelMA hydrogel solution with a concentration of 12% (w/v). Micro/nano additive manufacturing will have broad application prospects in the tissue engineering field.

Highlights

Owing to the cytotoxicity of polymers, synthetic hydrogels present poor biocompatibility, low water absorption capacity, and poor biodegradability, which severely limit their application for tissue engineering scaffolds
Cells were cultured on the 3D scaffolds fabricated using photosensitive gelatin methacrylate (GelMA) hydrogel solutions
The biological properties of the materials used to fabricate scaffolds are very important for tissue engineering applications

Summary

Introduction

Excellent scaffolds for tissue engineering should be three-dimensional (3D) porous structures that maintain the shape and characteristics of lesion tissues [1,2,3]. The materials used to fabricate scaffolds for tissue engineering should present excellent biocompatibility, high water absorption capacity, and remarkable biodegradability [4,5]. Scaffolds used for soft tissue engineering, such as cartilage, tendon, skin, blood vessel, kidney, and nerve tissue, are typically fabricated from photosensitive solutions or bioinks prepared using synthetic hydrogels. Synthetic hydrogels are fabricated using hydrophilic groups and high-molecular polymers [6,7]. Owing to the cytotoxicity of polymers, synthetic hydrogels present poor biocompatibility, low water absorption capacity, and poor biodegradability, which severely limit their application for tissue engineering scaffolds

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