Ulvan structural modification enhances stability and cell compatibility of GelMa based bioinks for tissue engineering

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Tissue Engineering
• Polymer Chemistry

Background:

• Ulvan and gelatin methacryloyl (GelMa) are promising bio-inks for 3D printing.
• Previous formulations faced solution stability issues, impacting storage and printing.
• Structural modification of ulvan is needed to overcome these limitations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a structurally modified ulvan (UAMa) for enhanced GelMa-based bio-inks.
• To improve solution stability and mechanical properties of ulvan-GelMa composites.
• To evaluate the potential of UAMa-based hydrogels for tissue engineering applications.

Main Methods:

• Ulvan purification via deproteinization.
• Chemical modification of purified ulvan with adipic dihydrazide and methacryloyl chloride to create UAMa.
• Formulation of UAMa-GelMa bio-inks and preparation of UAMa-based hydrogels (UAMaG) as controls.
• 3D printing of scaffolds and assessment of solution stability, mechanical strength, and cytocompatibility.

Main Results:

• The UAMa-GelMa ink solution exhibited enhanced stability compared to controls.
• UAMa-based hydrogels (UAMaG) showed superior mechanical strength over methacrylated ulvan-based hydrogels (UMaG).
• 3D printed scaffolds demonstrated high cytocompatibility with primary human dermal fibroblasts.

Conclusions:

• The hydrazine groups in modified ulvan (UAMa) significantly contribute to improved hydrogel performance.
• UAMa-GelMa composites offer enhanced solution stability and mechanical properties for advanced biofabrication.
• UAMa-based structures show considerable potential for tissue engineering applications.