Improving alginate printability for biofabrication: establishment of a universal and homogeneous pre-crosslinking technique
Hazur, Detsch, Karakaya, Kaschta, Teßmar, Schneidereit, Friedrich, Schubert, Boccaccini (2020) Improving alginate printability for biofabrication: establishment of a universal and homogeneous pre-crosslinking technique Biofabrication (IF: 9) 12(4) 045004Abstract
Many different biofabrication approaches as well as a variety of bioinks have been developed by researchers working in the field of tissue engineering. A main challenge for bioinks often remains the difficulty to achieve shape fidelity after printing. In order to overcome this issue, a homogeneous pre-crosslinking technique, which is universally applicable to all alginate-based materials, was developed. In this study, the Young's Modulus after post-crosslinking of selected hydrogels, as well as the chemical characterization of alginate in terms of M/G ratio and molecular weight, were determined. With our technique it was possible to markedly enhance the printability of a 2% (w/v) alginate solution, without using a higher polymer content, fillers or support structures. 3D porous scaffolds with a height of around 5 mm were printed. Furthermore, the rheological behavior of different pre-crosslinking degrees was studied. Shear forces on cells as well as the flow profile of the bioink inside the printing nozzle during the process were estimated. A high cell viability of printed NIH/3T3 cells embedded in the novel bioink of more than 85% over a time period of two weeks could be observed.
Links
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/32485692http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/1758-5090/ab98e5
