Characterization of alginate–gelatin–cholesteryl ester liquid crystals bioinks for extrusion bioprinting of tissue engineering scaffolds
Tissue engineering (TE) is an innovative approach to tackling many diseases and body parts that need to be replaced by developing artificial tissues and organs. Bioinks play an important role in the success of various TE applications. A bioink refers to a combination of a living cell, biomater...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI
2022
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://eprints.uthm.edu.my/6897/1/J14001_0dc36114d8dbaef2c2109bca656a3633.pdf http://eprints.uthm.edu.my/6897/ https://doi.org/10.3390/polym14051021 |
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| Summary: | Tissue engineering (TE) is an innovative approach to tackling many diseases and body
parts that need to be replaced by developing artificial tissues and organs. Bioinks play an important
role in the success of various TE applications. A bioink refers to a combination of a living cell,
biomaterials, and bioactive molecules deposited in a layer-by-layer form to fabricate tissue-like
structures. The research on bioink attempts to offer a 3D complex architecture and control cellular
behavior that improve cell physical properties and viability. This research proposed a new multi�material bioink based on alginate (A), gelatin (G), and cholesteryl ester liquid crystals (CELC)
biomaterials, namely (AGLC) bioinks. The development of AGLC was initiated with the
optimization of different concentrations of A and G gels to obtain a printable formulation of AG
gels. Subsequently, the influences of different concentrations of CELC with AG gels were
investigated by using a microextrusion-based 3D bioprinting system to obtain a printed structure
with high shape fidelity and minimum width. The AGLC bioinks were formulated using AG gel
with 10% weight/volume (w/v) of A and 50% w/v G (AG10:50) and 1%, 5%, 10%, 20%, and 40% of
CELC, respectively. The AGLC bioinks yield a high printability and resolution blend. The printed
filament has a minimum width of 1.3 mm at a 1 mL/min extrusion rate when the A equals 10% w/v,
G equals 50% w/v, and CELC equals 40% v/v (AGLC40). Polymerization of the AGLC bioinks with
calcium (Ca2+) ions shows well-defined and more stable structures in the post-printing process. The
physicochemical and viability properties of the AGLC bioinks were examined by FTIR, DSC, contact
angle, FESEM, MTT assay, and cell interaction evaluation methods. The FTIR spectra of the AGLC
bioinks exhibit a combination of characteristics vibrations of AG10:50 and CELC. The DSC analysis
indicates the high thermal stability of the bioinks. Wettability analysis shows a reduction in the
water absorption ability of the AGLC bioinks. FESEM analysis indicates that the surface
morphologies of the bioinks exhibit varying microstructures. In vitro cytotoxicity by MTT assay
shows the ability of the bioinks to support the biological activity of HeLa cells. The AGLC bioinks
show average cell viability of 82.36% compared to the control (90%). Furthermore, cultured cells on
the surface of AGLC bioinks showed that bioinks provide favorable interfaces for cell attachment. |
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