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Preparing 3D-printable silk fibroin hydrogels with robustness by a two-step crosslinking method
Dafei Gong1, Qinrui Lin2, Zhengzhong Shao2
1Research Center for Analysis and Measurement, Fudan University 220 Handan Road Shanghai 200433 People's Republic of China yuhongyang@fudan.edu.cn.
RSC Advances
|May 6, 2022
Summary
This study introduces a 3D printable regenerated silk fibroin (RSF) hydrogel. Post-printing, a ripening process enhances its mechanical properties, making it suitable for tissue engineering scaffolds.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Science
- Tissue Engineering
- Polymer Chemistry
Background:
- Regenerated silk fibroin (RSF) offers excellent biocompatibility and mechanical strength, but its application in 3D printing for artificial implants is limited.
- Traditional RSF materials face challenges in 3D printing due to processing difficulties and suboptimal mechanical properties for implant applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a 3D printable RSF hydrogel with enhanced mechanical properties for potential use in artificial implants and tissue engineering.
- To investigate the gelation mechanism and the effect of a post-printing ripening process on the hydrogel's structure and performance.
Main Methods:
- Formation of a weak, chemically crosslinked RSF hydrogel network.
- Application of a post-3D printing ripening process to improve mechanical properties.
- Characterization of the hydrogel's mechanical properties, including compressive modulus.
- Investigation of the gelation mechanism, focusing on the interplay between chemical and physical crosslinking and beta-sheet structure formation.
Main Results:
- A 3D printable RSF hydrogel was successfully fabricated using a weak, chemically crosslinked network.
- A post-printing ripening process significantly improved the hydrogel's mechanical properties, achieving a maximum compressive modulus of 2.5 MPa.
- The hydrogel's mechanical properties are comparable to natural elastomers like cartilage and superior to most existing RSF-based 3D printed hydrogels.
- The gelation mechanism revealed that chemical crosslinking constrains RSF beta-sheet formation, leading to a dense physical network responsible for high strength and resilience.
Conclusions:
- The developed double-network RSF hydrogel is 3D printable and exhibits excellent biocompatibility and mechanical properties.
- The post-printing ripening process is crucial for achieving high mechanical strength and resilience in the RSF hydrogel.
- This novel RSF hydrogel holds significant potential for fabricating 3D printed scaffolds for tissue engineering applications.
