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. 2023 Aug 11:10:rbad067.
doi: 10.1093/rb/rbad067. eCollection 2023.

Construction of 3D bioprinting of HAP/collagen scaffold in gelation bath for bone tissue engineering

Chuang Guo  1   2 , Jiacheng Wu  1   2 , Yiming Zeng  1   2 , Hong Li  1   2
Affiliations

Construction of 3D bioprinting of HAP/collagen scaffold in gelation bath for bone tissue engineering

Chuang Guo et al. Regen Biomater. .

Abstract

Reconstruction of bone defects remains a clinical challenge, and 3D bioprinting is a fabrication technology to treat it via tissue engineering. Collagen is currently the most popular cell scaffold for tissue engineering; however, a shortage of printability and low mechanical strength limited its application via 3D bioprinting. In the study, aiding with a gelatin support bath, a collagen-based scaffold was fabricated via 3D printing, where hydroxyapatite (HAP) and bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) were added to mimic the composition of bone. The results showed that the blend of HAP and collagen showed suitable rheological performance for 3D extrusion printing and enhanced the composite scaffold's strength. The gelatin support bath could effectively support the HAP/collagen scaffold's dimension with designed patterns at room temperature. BMSCs in/on the scaffold kept living and proliferating, and there was a high alkaline phosphate expression. The printed collagen-based scaffold with biocompatibility, mechanical properties and bioactivity provides a new way for bone tissue engineering via 3D bioprinting.

Keywords: 3D printing; collagen; gelation bath; hydroxyapatite; scaffold.

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Figures

None
Graphical abstract
Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Characterization of collagen and HAP: (A) TEM images of HAP powder and composite materials; (B) XRD patterns of HAP and composite materials; (C) particle size and zeta potential of HAP powder; (D) FTIR spectra.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Rheological analyses of the composite materials: (A) shear thinning at 4°C; (B) viscosity recovery; (C) extrusion state of composite materials at 4°C.
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
The 3D printing process includes: (A) printing in mid-air; (B) printing with support from a gelatin bath; (C) designing 3D models and (D) producing printed 3D models.
Figure 4.
Figure 4.
SEM Images and element distribution of lyophilized scaffolds: (A–C) top-view SEM images of the scaffold in different magnifications; (D) side-view SEM image of the scaffold; (E) energy spectrum of the scaffold, corresponding to image (A); (F–I) the distribution of Ca, P, C and N elements in the scaffold, respectively.
Figure 5.
Figure 5.
Mechanical properties characterization of scaffolds: (A) typical strain–strain curves of dry (a1) and wet (a2) scaffolds; (B) elastic behavior of scaffolds under a strain of 80% ((b1) is the initial state of the scaffold; (b2) is the stress state of the scaffold and (b3) is the state of the scaffold after the force was removed).
Figure 6.
Figure 6.
Characterization of biocompatibility and osteogenic properties of scaffolds: (A) fluorescence micrographs of cells stained with AM/PI (green, living cells; red, dead cells); (B) the OD value of cells cultured on the scaffolds for 1, 4 and 7 days; (C) the ALP activity after BMSC cells were cultured on the scaffolds for 7 and 14 days.
Figure 7.
Figure 7.
(A, B) LSCM image of the cell-laden scaffolds. (C–F) LSCM image of cells spreading behavior at 24 and 48 h (white arrow: the scalloped lamellipodia; yellow arrow: the filopodia).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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