Biocompatibility enhancement via post-processing of microporous scaffolds made by optical 3D printer

Providing a 3D environment that mimics the native extracellular matrix is becoming increasingly important for various applications such as cell function studies, regenerative medicine, and drug discovery. Among the most critical parameters to consider are the scaffold’s complicated micro-scale geome...

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Main Authors: Jurga Jeršovaitė, Ugnė Šarachovaitė, Ieva Matulaitienė, Gediminas Niaura, Daiva Baltriukienė, Mangirdas Malinauskas
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2023-04-01
Series:Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fbioe.2023.1167753/full
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author Jurga Jeršovaitė
Ugnė Šarachovaitė
Ieva Matulaitienė
Gediminas Niaura
Daiva Baltriukienė
Mangirdas Malinauskas
author_facet Jurga Jeršovaitė
Ugnė Šarachovaitė
Ieva Matulaitienė
Gediminas Niaura
Daiva Baltriukienė
Mangirdas Malinauskas
author_sort Jurga Jeršovaitė
collection DOAJ
description Providing a 3D environment that mimics the native extracellular matrix is becoming increasingly important for various applications such as cell function studies, regenerative medicine, and drug discovery. Among the most critical parameters to consider are the scaffold’s complicated micro-scale geometry and material properties. Therefore, stereolithography based on photopolymerization is an emerging technique because of its ability to selectively form volumetric structures from liquid resin through localized polymerization reactions. However, one of the most important parameters of the scaffold is biocompatibility, which depends not only on the material but also on the exposure conditions and post-processing, which is currently underestimated. To investigate this systematically, microporous scaffolds with pore sizes of 0.05 mm3 corresponding to a porosity of 16,4% were fabricated using the stereolithography printer Asiga PICO2 39 UV from the widely used resins FormLabs Clear and Flexible. The use of various polymers is usually limited for cells because, after wet chemical development, the non-negligible amount of remaining monomers intertwined in the photopolymerized structures is significantly toxic to cells. Therefore, the aim of this research was to find the best method to remove monomers from the 3D scaffold by additional UV exposure. For this purpose, a Soxhlet extractor was used for the first time, and the monomers were immersed in different alcohols. A Raman microspectroscopy was also used to investigate whether different post-processing methods affect DC (cross-linking) to find out if this specifically affects the biocompatibility of the scaffolds. Finally, mesenchymal stem cells from rat dental pulp were examined to confirm the increased biocompatibility of the scaffolds and their ability to support cell differentiation into bone tissue cells.
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spelling doaj.art-df5829f7cd994ee1848b8de2c4e4fc732023-04-12T05:55:21ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology2296-41852023-04-011110.3389/fbioe.2023.11677531167753Biocompatibility enhancement via post-processing of microporous scaffolds made by optical 3D printerJurga Jeršovaitė0Ugnė Šarachovaitė1Ieva Matulaitienė2Gediminas Niaura3Daiva Baltriukienė4Mangirdas Malinauskas5Laser Research Center, Faculty of Physics, Vilnius University, Vilnius, LithuaniaInstitute of Biochemistry, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, Vilnius, LithuaniaDepartment of Organic Chemistry, Center for Physical Sciences and Technology, Vilnius, LithuaniaDepartment of Organic Chemistry, Center for Physical Sciences and Technology, Vilnius, LithuaniaInstitute of Biochemistry, Life Sciences Center, Vilnius University, Vilnius, LithuaniaLaser Research Center, Faculty of Physics, Vilnius University, Vilnius, LithuaniaProviding a 3D environment that mimics the native extracellular matrix is becoming increasingly important for various applications such as cell function studies, regenerative medicine, and drug discovery. Among the most critical parameters to consider are the scaffold’s complicated micro-scale geometry and material properties. Therefore, stereolithography based on photopolymerization is an emerging technique because of its ability to selectively form volumetric structures from liquid resin through localized polymerization reactions. However, one of the most important parameters of the scaffold is biocompatibility, which depends not only on the material but also on the exposure conditions and post-processing, which is currently underestimated. To investigate this systematically, microporous scaffolds with pore sizes of 0.05 mm3 corresponding to a porosity of 16,4% were fabricated using the stereolithography printer Asiga PICO2 39 UV from the widely used resins FormLabs Clear and Flexible. The use of various polymers is usually limited for cells because, after wet chemical development, the non-negligible amount of remaining monomers intertwined in the photopolymerized structures is significantly toxic to cells. Therefore, the aim of this research was to find the best method to remove monomers from the 3D scaffold by additional UV exposure. For this purpose, a Soxhlet extractor was used for the first time, and the monomers were immersed in different alcohols. A Raman microspectroscopy was also used to investigate whether different post-processing methods affect DC (cross-linking) to find out if this specifically affects the biocompatibility of the scaffolds. Finally, mesenchymal stem cells from rat dental pulp were examined to confirm the increased biocompatibility of the scaffolds and their ability to support cell differentiation into bone tissue cells.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fbioe.2023.1167753/full3D printingphotopolymerizationstem cellstissue engineeringpost-processingbiocompatibility
spellingShingle Jurga Jeršovaitė
Ugnė Šarachovaitė
Ieva Matulaitienė
Gediminas Niaura
Daiva Baltriukienė
Mangirdas Malinauskas
Biocompatibility enhancement via post-processing of microporous scaffolds made by optical 3D printer
Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology
3D printing
photopolymerization
stem cells
tissue engineering
post-processing
biocompatibility
title Biocompatibility enhancement via post-processing of microporous scaffolds made by optical 3D printer
title_full Biocompatibility enhancement via post-processing of microporous scaffolds made by optical 3D printer
title_fullStr Biocompatibility enhancement via post-processing of microporous scaffolds made by optical 3D printer
title_full_unstemmed Biocompatibility enhancement via post-processing of microporous scaffolds made by optical 3D printer
title_short Biocompatibility enhancement via post-processing of microporous scaffolds made by optical 3D printer
title_sort biocompatibility enhancement via post processing of microporous scaffolds made by optical 3d printer
topic 3D printing
photopolymerization
stem cells
tissue engineering
post-processing
biocompatibility
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fbioe.2023.1167753/full
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