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Extrusion 3D (Bio)Printing of Alginate-Gelatin-Based Composite Scaffolds for Skeletal Muscle Tissue Engineering
Surendrasingh Y Sonaye1, Elif G Ertugral2, Chandrasekhar R Kothapalli2
1Mechanical Engineering, Cleveland State University, Cleveland, OH 44115, USA.
Materials (Basel, Switzerland)
|November 26, 2022
Summary
Researchers developed advanced alginate-gelatin bioinks for 3D printing custom scaffolds. These scaffolds show promise for treating volumetric muscle loss (VML) injuries by supporting skeletal muscle regeneration.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Science
- Regenerative Medicine
- Tissue Engineering
Background:
- Volumetric muscle loss (VML) is a severe skeletal muscle injury that impairs the body's natural regeneration capacity.
- Bioprinting offers a promising approach to create functional tissue substitutes for VML treatment by mimicking the native extracellular matrix.
Purpose of the Study:
- To engineer and characterize alginate-gelatin composite bioinks for 3D printing scaffolds tailored for VML repair.
- To evaluate the printability, mechanical properties, and degradation behavior of the fabricated scaffolds.
Main Methods:
- Alginate-gelatin composite inks were formulated with varying alginate concentrations (4-12% w/v) and a fixed gelatin concentration (6% w/v).
- Extrusion bioprinting was employed to fabricate design-specific scaffolds.
- Rheological, mechanical (stiffness), swelling, and degradation analyses were performed on the printed scaffolds.
Main Results:
- Alginate-gelatin inks with 12% alginate and 6% gelatin demonstrated optimal rheological properties for high-resolution scaffold printing.
- Scaffold stiffness was tunable by alginate content and calcium chloride (CaCl2) crosslinking concentration, achieving values similar to native skeletal muscle (45-50 kPa).
- Optimal crosslinking (500 mM CaCl2) and alginate content (12% w/v) resulted in high swelling (70%) and low degradation rates (28%).
Conclusions:
- Alginate-gelatin composite inks are suitable bioinks for 3D printing scaffolds for VML treatment.
- The developed scaffolds possess tunable mechanical properties and controlled degradation, indicating their potential for skeletal muscle tissue regeneration.
