Biomechanical properties and cellular biocompatibility of 3D printed tracheal graft

The goals of our study were to evaluate the biomechanical properties and cellular biocompatibility of 3D printed tracheal graft fabricated by polycaprolactone (PCL). Compared with native tracheal patch, there was a significant increase in maximum stress and elastic modulus for 3DP tracheal graft (p < 0.05). BMSCs were co-cultured under four different conditions to investigate cytotoxicity of the graft: (1) co-cultured with normal culture medium, as blank control; (2) co-cultured with perfluoropropylene, as negative control; (3) co-cultured with 3DP tracheal graft; and (4) co-cultured with polyvinyl chloride, as positive control. Moreover, the results of SRB assay showed that compared with blank and negative control group, there was no significant difference in the cell proliferation of 3DP tracheal graft group for 21 days (p > 0.05). These results revealed that 3DP tracheal graft in our study has favorable cellular biocompatibility and biomechanical properties, and, therefore, will be a promising alternative for tissue-engineered trachea.