Comparing the Printability, Biological and Physicochemical Properties of Bio-Based Photo-Crosslinkable Hydrogels

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Tissue Engineering
• Polymer Chemistry

Background:

• Bio-based photo-crosslinkable hydrogels mimic the extracellular matrix (ECM) for tissue engineering scaffolds.
• Extrusion-based 3D printing enables the fabrication of complex scaffold architectures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and characterize methacrylated chitosan, alginate, and gelatin-based hydrogels for extrusion-based 3D bioprinting.
• To evaluate the printability, mechanical properties, degradation kinetics, and biocompatibility of these novel bioinks.

Main Methods:

• Methacrylation of chitosan, alginate, and gelatin polymers.
• Extrusion-based 3D printing of hydrogel scaffolds.
• Characterization of hydrogel morphology, swelling, mechanical, rheological, and degradation properties.
• Biocompatibility assessment using bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs).

Main Results:

• All developed hydrogels were successfully light-induced 3D printed.
• Methacrylated gelatin exhibited enhanced printability, shape fidelity, and structural integrity compared to methacrylated alginate.
• Hydrogels demonstrated good biocompatibility, with gelatin-based formulations showing superior BM-MSC attachment and spreading.
• Characterization revealed swelling (6-40%), mechanical properties (Young's modulus, 0.1-0.5 KPa), rheological properties (300-1000 Pa), and degradation kinetics (10-60 days).

Conclusions:

• Methacrylated gelatin hydrogels are promising bioinks for extrusion-based 3D printing due to superior printability and biocompatibility.
• Chitosan, alginate, and gelatin-based hydrogels show potential as biomaterials for light-induced 3D bioprinting in tissue engineering.
• Further optimization of methacrylated alginate may improve its applicability in 3D bioprinting.