Abstract
3D biomaterial manufacturing strategies show an extraordinary driving force for the development of innovative therapies in the tissue engineering field. Here, the behaviour of 3D printed chitosan (CH)-based scaffolds was explored as a function of the post-printing gelation process. To this purpose, gel forming properties of different media were tested on their capability to retain 3D structure, water content, mechanical resistance and surface/internal porosity. Three different gelation media (i.e. KOH 1.5 M, Na2CO3 1.5 M, ammonia vapours) were selected and the 3D CH scaffolds were tested in terms of biocompatibility toward fibroblast as skin associated human cell line.
Highlights
One of the purposes of tissue engineering is that of developing synthetic or naturally-derived biological substitutes capable to help injured tissues to heal properly
The reaction of gelation without the use of organic solvents is traditionally performed with the help of strong bases such as KOH or NaOH8 this from one side guarantees a fast and complete gelation but, on the other side this limits the control and the fine tuning of swelling behaviour, porosity and of main mechanical properties such as strength and elasticity[3]. Another issue associated with the use of strong bases as gelation agents is the potential chemical degradation of any active compound included in the formulation: it is very desirable to use hydrogels as storage or delivery systems of molecules[9], such as growth factors or drugs, and this urges the need for milder conditions of gelation, in order to avoid the chemical degradation of those substances during the manufacture process
In this paper we addressed the role of the gelation medium on the physical, mechanical and biological characteristics of chitosan scaffolds prepared by 3D deposition and freezing
Summary
One of the purposes of tissue engineering is that of developing synthetic or naturally-derived biological substitutes (scaffolds) capable to help injured tissues to heal properly. The reaction of gelation without the use of organic solvents is traditionally performed with the help of strong bases such as KOH or NaOH8 this from one side guarantees a fast and complete gelation but, on the other side this limits the control and the fine tuning of swelling behaviour, porosity and of main mechanical properties such as strength and elasticity[3] Another issue associated with the use of strong bases as gelation agents is the potential chemical degradation of any active compound included in the formulation: it is very desirable to use hydrogels as storage or delivery systems of molecules[9], such as growth factors or drugs, and this urges the need for milder conditions of gelation, in order to avoid the chemical degradation of those substances during the manufacture process
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