Thermoresponsive Alginate-Graft-pNIPAM/Methyl Cellulose 3D-Printed Scaffolds Promote Osteogenesis In Vitro
In this work, a sodium alginate-based copolymer grafted by thermoresponsive poly(<i>N</i>-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) chains was used as gelator (Alg-g-PNIPAM) in combination with methylcellulose (MC). It was found that the mechanical properties of the resulting gel could be enhanced b...
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| Format: | Article |
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MDPI AG
2023-12-01
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| Series: | Gels |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2310-2861/9/12/984 |
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| author | Aikaterini Gialouri Sofia Falia Saravanou Konstantinos Loukelis Maria Chatzinikolaidou George Pasparakis Nikolaos Bouropoulos |
| author_facet | Aikaterini Gialouri Sofia Falia Saravanou Konstantinos Loukelis Maria Chatzinikolaidou George Pasparakis Nikolaos Bouropoulos |
| author_sort | Aikaterini Gialouri |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In this work, a sodium alginate-based copolymer grafted by thermoresponsive poly(<i>N</i>-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) chains was used as gelator (Alg-g-PNIPAM) in combination with methylcellulose (MC). It was found that the mechanical properties of the resulting gel could be enhanced by the addition of MC and calcium ions (Ca<sup>2+</sup>). The proposed network is formed via a dual crosslinking mechanism including ionic interactions among Ca<sup>2+</sup> and carboxyl groups and secondary hydrophobic associations of PNIPAM chains. MC was found to further reinforce the dynamic moduli of the resulting gels (i.e., a storage modulus of ca. 1500 Pa at physiological body and post-printing temperature), rendering them suitable for 3D printing in biomedical applications. The polymer networks were stable and retained their printed fidelity with minimum erosion as low as 6% for up to seven days. Furthermore, adhered pre-osteoblastic cells on Alg-g-PNIPAM/MC printed scaffolds presented 80% viability compared to tissue culture polystyrene control, and more importantly, they promoted the osteogenic potential, as indicated by the increased alkaline phosphatase activity, calcium, and collagen production relative to the Alg-g-PNIPAM control scaffolds. Specifically, ALP activity and collagen secreted by cells were significantly enhanced in Alg-g-PNIPAM/MC scaffolds compared to the Alg-g-PNIPAM counterparts, demonstrating their potential in bone tissue engineering. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T20:44:21Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-0123696b577e48ac9b46c685edc24302 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2310-2861 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T20:44:21Z |
| publishDate | 2023-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Gels |
| spelling | doaj.art-0123696b577e48ac9b46c685edc243022023-12-22T14:10:50ZengMDPI AGGels2310-28612023-12-0191298410.3390/gels9120984Thermoresponsive Alginate-Graft-pNIPAM/Methyl Cellulose 3D-Printed Scaffolds Promote Osteogenesis In VitroAikaterini Gialouri0Sofia Falia Saravanou1Konstantinos Loukelis2Maria Chatzinikolaidou3George Pasparakis4Nikolaos Bouropoulos5Department of Materials Science, University of Patras, 26504 Patras, GreeceDepartment of Chemical Engineering, University of Patras, 26500 Patras, GreeceDepartment of Materials Science and Technology, University of Crete, 70013 Heraklion, GreeceDepartment of Materials Science and Technology, University of Crete, 70013 Heraklion, GreeceDepartment of Chemical Engineering, University of Patras, 26500 Patras, GreeceDepartment of Materials Science, University of Patras, 26504 Patras, GreeceIn this work, a sodium alginate-based copolymer grafted by thermoresponsive poly(<i>N</i>-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) chains was used as gelator (Alg-g-PNIPAM) in combination with methylcellulose (MC). It was found that the mechanical properties of the resulting gel could be enhanced by the addition of MC and calcium ions (Ca<sup>2+</sup>). The proposed network is formed via a dual crosslinking mechanism including ionic interactions among Ca<sup>2+</sup> and carboxyl groups and secondary hydrophobic associations of PNIPAM chains. MC was found to further reinforce the dynamic moduli of the resulting gels (i.e., a storage modulus of ca. 1500 Pa at physiological body and post-printing temperature), rendering them suitable for 3D printing in biomedical applications. The polymer networks were stable and retained their printed fidelity with minimum erosion as low as 6% for up to seven days. Furthermore, adhered pre-osteoblastic cells on Alg-g-PNIPAM/MC printed scaffolds presented 80% viability compared to tissue culture polystyrene control, and more importantly, they promoted the osteogenic potential, as indicated by the increased alkaline phosphatase activity, calcium, and collagen production relative to the Alg-g-PNIPAM control scaffolds. Specifically, ALP activity and collagen secreted by cells were significantly enhanced in Alg-g-PNIPAM/MC scaffolds compared to the Alg-g-PNIPAM counterparts, demonstrating their potential in bone tissue engineering.https://www.mdpi.com/2310-2861/9/12/984sodium alginatePNIPAM3D printingMC3T3-E1bone tissue engineering |
| spellingShingle | Aikaterini Gialouri Sofia Falia Saravanou Konstantinos Loukelis Maria Chatzinikolaidou George Pasparakis Nikolaos Bouropoulos Thermoresponsive Alginate-Graft-pNIPAM/Methyl Cellulose 3D-Printed Scaffolds Promote Osteogenesis In Vitro Gels sodium alginate PNIPAM 3D printing MC3T3-E1 bone tissue engineering |
| title | Thermoresponsive Alginate-Graft-pNIPAM/Methyl Cellulose 3D-Printed Scaffolds Promote Osteogenesis In Vitro |
| title_full | Thermoresponsive Alginate-Graft-pNIPAM/Methyl Cellulose 3D-Printed Scaffolds Promote Osteogenesis In Vitro |
| title_fullStr | Thermoresponsive Alginate-Graft-pNIPAM/Methyl Cellulose 3D-Printed Scaffolds Promote Osteogenesis In Vitro |
| title_full_unstemmed | Thermoresponsive Alginate-Graft-pNIPAM/Methyl Cellulose 3D-Printed Scaffolds Promote Osteogenesis In Vitro |
| title_short | Thermoresponsive Alginate-Graft-pNIPAM/Methyl Cellulose 3D-Printed Scaffolds Promote Osteogenesis In Vitro |
| title_sort | thermoresponsive alginate graft pnipam methyl cellulose 3d printed scaffolds promote osteogenesis in vitro |
| topic | sodium alginate PNIPAM 3D printing MC3T3-E1 bone tissue engineering |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2310-2861/9/12/984 |
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