Bioactive Glass Microscaffolds Fabricated by Two-Photon Lithography

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Tissue Engineering
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Bioactive glasses (BG) are crucial for bone tissue engineering due to their osteoconductive properties.
• Optimal scaffold pore sizes (100-500 µm) support cell infiltration and vascularization, while micro-features influence cell behavior.
• Current additive manufacturing (AM) techniques struggle to create BG structures with sub-100 µm features.

Purpose of the Study:

• To utilize two-photon lithography (TPL) for fabricating bioactive glass scaffolds with single-micron features.
• To investigate the potential of TPL for creating precise microstructures in BG for tissue engineering applications.
• To explore the bioactivity and cytocompatibility of TPL-fabricated BG scaffolds.

Main Methods:

• A composite material containing BG nanoparticles was prepared.
• Two-photon lithography (TPL) was employed to structure the composite with features as small as 6 µm.
• Thermal processing was used to convert the structured composite into bioactive glass scaffolds.

Main Results:

• The study successfully fabricated BG scaffolds with single-micron features using TPL, a significant advancement over existing AM methods.
• The resulting glass scaffolds exhibited in vitro bioactivity when immersed in simulated body fluid (SBF).
• The scaffolds demonstrated cytocompatibility with human mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs).

Conclusions:

• Two-photon lithography (TPL) offers a novel approach for microstructuring bioactive glass for tissue engineering.
• This technique allows for precise control over scaffold architecture, potentially enhancing bone regeneration.
• The developed method broadens the possibilities for tailoring BG scaffolds to influence cell behavior and improve tissue integration.