A dual-gelling poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)-based ink and thermoreversible poloxamer support bath for high-resolution bioprinting

Extrusion bioprinting is a popular method for fabricating tissue engineering scaffolds because of its potential to rapidly produce complex,bioactive or cell-laden scaffolds.However,due to the relatively high viscosity required to maintain shape fidelity during printing,many extrusion-based inks lack the ability to achieve precise structures at scales lower than hundreds of micrometers.In this work,we present a novel poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)(PNIPAAm)-based ink and poloxamer support bath system that produces precise,multi-layered structures on the tens of micrometers scale.The support bath maintains the structure of the ink in a hydrated,heated environment ideal for cell culture,while the ink undergoes rapid thermogelation followed by a spontaneous covalent crosslinking reaction.Through the combination of the PNIPAAm-based ink and poloxamer bath,this system was able to produce hydrogel scaffolds with uniform fibers possessing diameters tunable from 80 to 200μm.A framework of relationships between several important printing factors involved in maintaining support and thermogelation was also elucidated.As a whole,this work demonstrates the ability to produce precise,acellular and cell-laden PNIPAAm-based scaffolds at high-resolution and contributes to the growing body of research surrounding the printability of extrusion-based bioinks with support baths.

Evaluating the physicochemical effects of conjugating peptides into thermogelling hydrogels for regenerative biomaterials applications

Thermogelling hydrogels,such as poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)[P(NiPAAm)],provide tunable constructs leveraged in many regenerative biomaterial applications.Recently,our lab developed the crosslinker poly(glycolic acid)-poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(glycolic acid)-di(but-2-yne-1,4-dithiol),which crosslinks P(NiPAAm-co-glycidyl methacrylate)via thiol-epoxy reaction and can be functionalized with azide-terminated peptides via alkyne-azide click chemistry.This study’s aim was to evaluate the impact of peptides on the physicochemical properties of the hydrogels.The physicochemical properties of the hydrogels including the lower critical solution temperature,crosslinking times,swelling,degradation,peptide release and cytocompatibility were evaluated.The gels bearing peptides increased equilibrium swelling indicating hydrophilicity of the hydrogel components.Comparable sol fractions were found for all groups,indicating that inclusion of peptides does not impact crosslinking.Moreover,the inclusion of a matrix metalloproteinase-sensitive peptide allowed elucidation of whether release of peptides from the network was driven by hydrolysis or enzymatic cleavage.The hydrophilicity of the network determined by the swelling behavior was demonstrated to be the most important factor in dictating hydrogel behavior over time.This study demonstrates the importance of characterizing the impact of additives on the physicochemical properties of hydrogels.These characteristics are key in determining design considerations for future in vitro and in vivo studies for tissue regeneration.