Microarchitected Compliant Scaffolds of Pyrolytic Carbon for 3D Muscle Cell Growth

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Tissue Engineering
• Additive Manufacturing

Background:

• Additive manufacturing and pyrolysis enable the creation of complex 3D pyrolytic carbon (PyC) structures.
• The use of these architected 3D PyC structures in cellular interactions, particularly for tissue engineering, remains largely unexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To pioneer the use of microarchitected 3D PyC structures as biocompatible scaffolds for muscle cell colonization in a 3D environment.
• To investigate the fabrication, properties, and cellular compatibility of novel, compliant architected PyC structures.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of PyC scaffolds using micro-stereolithography followed by pyrolysis.
• Design strategy incorporating revolute joints for compliant structures.
• Characterization of PyC scaffold shrinkage, stiffness, and biocompatibility with skeletal muscle C2C12 cells.

Main Results:

• PyC scaffolds exhibited significant, design-geometry-dependent shrinkage (up to 73%) after pyrolysis.
• The stiffness of PyC varied with pyrolysis temperature, reaching 29.57 ± 0.78 GPa at 900 °C.
• Excellent biocompatibility was observed, with successful 3D cell colonization and actin fiber alignment of C2C12 cells, though conclusive myogenic differentiation was not achieved.

Conclusions:

• Microarchitected 3D PyC scaffolds are biocompatible and support 3D muscle cell colonization and alignment.
• These findings highlight the potential of compliant architected PyC structures for multifunctional tissue implants and advanced tissue engineering applications.
• Further research is encouraged to explore the full potential of these novel materials in regenerative medicine.