Thiol-ene Clickable Poly(glycidol) Hydrogels for Biofabrication

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Polymer Chemistry
• Tissue Engineering

Background:

• Poly(ethylene glycol) is widely used in biomaterials but lacks tunable degradation.
• Developing novel polymer backbones for bioinks is crucial for advanced tissue engineering.

Purpose of the Study:

• Introduce linear poly(glycidol) (PG) as a versatile polymer basis for bioink development.
• Create tunable, cross-linkable hydrogels for 3D bioprinting applications.
• Evaluate the cytocompatibility and printability of PG-based hydrogels.

Main Methods:

• Synthesized allyl- and thiol-functional linear poly(glycidol).
• Fabricated 3D hydrogel networks via UV-mediated thiol-ene click chemistry.
• Investigated mechanical properties, swelling behavior, and printability.
• Assessed hydrogel degradability and cytocompatibility with human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hBMSCs).

Main Results:

• Achieved rapid hydrogel formation with tunable mechanical properties based on polymer concentration and UV exposure.
• Developed both degradable (ester-containing) and non-degradable (ester-free) PG hydrogels.
• Demonstrated excellent cytocompatibility of PG hydrogels with encapsulated hBMSCs.
• Optimized hydrogel formulation with hyaluronic acid for reproducible 3D plotting of multi-layered constructs.

Conclusions:

• Linear poly(glycidol) is a promising, tunable polymer platform for developing advanced bioinks.
• PG-based hydrogels can be tailored for degradability and mechanical properties, suitable for tissue engineering.
• The developed bioink formulation enables precise 3D bioprinting of complex cellular constructs.