Graphene-Reinforced Biodegradable Resin Composites for Stereolithographic 3D Printing of Bone Structure Scaffolds

A biodegradable UV-cured resin has been fabricated via stereolithography apparatus (SLA). The formulation consists of a commercial polyurethane resin as an oligomer, trimethylolpropane trimethacrylate (TEGDMA) as a reactive diluent and phenylbis (2, 4, 6-trimethylbenzoyl)-phosphine oxide (Irgacure 819) as a photoinitiator. The tensile strength of the three-dimensional (3D) printed specimens is 68 MPa, 62% higher than that of the reference specimens (produced by direct casting). The flexural strength and modulus can reach 115 MPa and 5.8 GPa, respectively. A solvent-free method is applied to fabricate graphene-reinforced nanocomposite. Porous bone structures (a jawbone with a square architecture and a sternum with a round architecture) and gyroid scaffold of graphene-reinforced nanocomposite for bone tissue engineering have been 3D printed via SLA. The UV-crosslinkable graphene-reinforced biodegradable nanocomposite using SLA 3D printing technology can potentially remove important cost barriers for personalized biological tissue engineering as compared to the traditional mould-based multistep methods.

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Three-Dimensional Printing of Hydroxyapatite Composites for Biomedical Application

Crystals ◽

10.3390/cryst11040353 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (4) ◽

pp. 353

Author(s):

Yanting Han ◽

Qianqian Wei ◽

Pengbo Chang ◽

Kehui Hu ◽

Oseweuba Valentine Okoro ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Tissue Engineering ◽

3D Printing ◽

Biomedical Application ◽

Three Dimensional ◽

Antibacterial Properties ◽

Natural Polymers ◽

Three Dimensional Printing ◽

3D Printed ◽

Dental Applications ◽

Hard Tissue Engineering

Hydroxyapatite (HA) and HA-based nanocomposites have been recognized as ideal biomaterials in hard tissue engineering because of their compositional similarity to bioapatite. However, the traditional HA-based nanocomposites fabrication techniques still limit the utilization of HA in bone, cartilage, dental, applications, and other fields. In recent years, three-dimensional (3D) printing has been shown to provide a fast, precise, controllable, and scalable fabrication approach for the synthesis of HA-based scaffolds. This review therefore explores available 3D printing technologies for the preparation of porous HA-based nanocomposites. In the present review, different 3D printed HA-based scaffolds composited with natural polymers and/or synthetic polymers are discussed. Furthermore, the desired properties of HA-based composites via 3D printing such as porosity, mechanical properties, biodegradability, and antibacterial properties are extensively explored. Lastly, the applications and the next generation of HA-based nanocomposites for tissue engineering are discussed.

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Three-dimensionally printed polycaprolactone/multicomponent bioactive glass scaffolds for potential application in bone tissue engineering

Biomedical glasses ◽

10.1515/bglass-2020-0006 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 6 (1) ◽

pp. 57-69

Author(s):

Amirhosein Fathi ◽

Farzad Kermani ◽

Aliasghar Behnamghader ◽

Sara Banijamali ◽

Masoud Mozafari ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Tissue Engineering ◽

3D Printing ◽

Bone Tissue Engineering ◽

Bone Tissue ◽

Three Dimensional ◽

Layer By Layer ◽

Composite Scaffolds ◽

3D Printed ◽

Co Doped

AbstractOver the last years, three-dimensional (3D) printing has been successfully applied to produce suitable substitutes for treating bone defects. In this work, 3D printed composite scaffolds of polycaprolactone (PCL) and strontium (Sr)- and cobalt (Co)-doped multi-component melt-derived bioactive glasses (BGs) were prepared for bone tissue engineering strategies. For this purpose, 30% of as-prepared BG particles (size <38 μm) were incorporated into PCL, and then the obtained composite mix was introduced into a 3D printing machine to fabricate layer-by-layer porous structures with the size of 12 × 12 × 2 mm3.The scaffolds were fully characterized through a series of physico-chemical and biological assays. Adding the BGs to PCL led to an improvement in the compressive strength of the fabricated scaffolds and increased their hydrophilicity. Furthermore, the PCL/BG scaffolds showed apatite-forming ability (i.e., bioactivity behavior) after being immersed in simulated body fluid (SBF). The in vitro cellular examinations revealed the cytocompatibility of the scaffolds and confirmed them as suitable substrates for the adhesion and proliferation of MG-63 osteosarcoma cells. In conclusion, 3D printed composite scaffolds made of PCL and Sr- and Co-doped BGs might be potentially-beneficial bone replacements, and the achieved results motivate further research on these materials.

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3D-Printed Biopolymers for Tissue Engineering Application

International Journal of Polymer Science ◽

10.1155/2014/829145 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 2014 ◽

pp. 1-13 ◽

Cited By ~ 50

Author(s):

Xiaoming Li ◽

Rongrong Cui ◽

Lianwen Sun ◽

Katerina E. Aifantis ◽

Yubo Fan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Tissue Engineering ◽

3D Printing ◽

Three Dimensional ◽

Engineering Application ◽

Tissue Engineering Application ◽

Printing Technology ◽

3D Printing Technology ◽

Potential Applications ◽

3D Printed ◽

Dimensional Object

3D printing technology has recently gained substantial interest for potential applications in tissue engineering due to the ability of making a three-dimensional object of virtually any shape from a digital model. 3D-printed biopolymers, which combine the 3D printing technology and biopolymers, have shown great potential in tissue engineering applications and are receiving significant attention, which has resulted in the development of numerous research programs regarding the material systems which are available for 3D printing. This review focuses on recent advances in the development of biopolymer materials, including natural biopolymer-based materials and synthetic biopolymer-based materials prepared using 3D printing technology, and some future challenges and applications of this technology are discussed.

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Recent advances in the development of nature-derived photocrosslinkable biomaterials for 3D printing in tissue engineering

Biomaterials Research ◽

10.1186/s40824-019-0168-8 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 23 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Geunho Choi ◽

Hyung Joon Cha

Keyword(s):

Tissue Engineering ◽

3D Printing ◽

Uv Light ◽

Three Dimensional ◽

Main Body ◽

Biological Functions ◽

Non Invasive ◽

Decellularized Extracellular Matrix ◽

3D Printed ◽

Control Light

Abstract Background In recent years, three-dimensional (3D) printing has begun to be widely used in tissue engineering. Natural biomaterials have been employed to overcome the limitations of synthetic polymers. However, their low mechanical strength and poor printability are major disadvantages. Photocrosslinking is the most promising fabrication strategy because it is non-invasive and easy to control light intensity and exposure. In this article, developments of photocrosslinkable natural biomaterials in the field of 3D printing are reviewed. Main body Photocrosslinkable biomaterials can be broadly classified into materials that use ultraviolet (UV) and visible lights. Many natural biomaterials such as gelatin, hydroxyapatite, silk fibroin, and pectin have been modified through acrylation, crosslinked by 365 nm UV light, and 3D printed. Riboflavin could also be used to crosslink and print collagen or decellularized extracellular matrix (dECM). In the case of silk-like aneroin and modified gelatin, crosslinking is possible by forming a dityrosine bond using 452 nm visible light. Conclusion Despite the tremendous researches on the developments of photocrosslinkable 3D printing natural biomaterials, further efforts are necessary to develop source biomaterials with excellent biological functions and sufficient mechanical integrity.

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Design and testing 3D printed structures for bone replacements

Journal of Achievements of Materials and Manufacturing Engineering ◽

10.5604/01.3001.0014.4922 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 2 (101) ◽

pp. 76-85

Author(s):

P.G. Ikonomov ◽

A. Yahamed ◽

P.D. Fleming ◽

A. Pekarovicova

Keyword(s):

Mechanical Properties ◽

3D Printing ◽

Trabecular Bone ◽

Bone Structure ◽

Body Parts ◽

The Real ◽

Support Materials ◽

Honeycomb Structures ◽

3D Printed ◽

Bone Structures

Purpose: 3D printing has shown enormous potential for building plastic products, including bone, organs, and body parts. The technology has progressed from visualization and preoperation training to the 3D printing of customized body parts and implants. This research aims to create 3D printed bone structure from plastics and test the mechanical properties of the cortical and trabecular bone structures if they match the real bone structure strength. Design/methodology/approach: We used Digital Imaging, and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) images from Computer Tomography (CT) scans to created external bone structures. These images' resolution did not allow the creation of fine trabecular bone structures, so we used 3D modeling software to engineer special 3D void honeycomb structures (with triangular, square, and hexagonal shapes). Another reason to design void structures is that the 3D printing of complex shapes without support materials is problematic. After designing and 3D printing of the 3D bone structures, their mechanical properties need to be tested. Findings: 3D bone models, solid (cortical), and void (trabecular) bone structures were designed, 3D printed, and then tested. Tensile, bending, and compression testing was performed. Testing the mechanical properties of the honeycomb structures (triangular, square, and hexagonal) shows that their strength and modulus are higher than those of the real trabecular bones. The results show that 3D printed honeycomb structures mechanical properties can match and some cases exceeding the properties of the actual bones trabecular structures, while the sold structures have lower mechanical properties than the bone cortical structures. Research limitations/implications: During the 3D printing experiments, we found that 3D printers, in general, have low resolution, not enough to print fine trabecular bone structures. To solve the existing 3D printing technology's insufficient resolution, we later designed and built an SLA (stereolithography) 3D printer with high printing resolution (10 micrometers). Another limitation we found is the lack of biocompatible materials for 3D printing of bone structures. Future research work is in progress formulating superior ink/resin for bone structures 3D printing. Further, clinical trials need to be performed to investigate 3D printed parts’ influence on the healing of bone structures. Practical implications: We found that the 3D void (honeycomb) structures will have an impact not only on building bone structures but also in engineering special structures for industrial applications that can reduce the weight, time, and the cost of the material, while still keep sufficient mechanical properties. Originality/value: Designing and testing 3D printed bone models, solid (cortical), and void (trabecular) bone structures could replace bones. Design and test special void honeycomb structures as a replacement for cortical bone structures.

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Solvent-based Extrusion 3D Printing for the Fabrication of Tissue Engineering Scaffolds

International Journal of Bioprinting ◽

10.18063/ijb.v6i1.211 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 6 (1) ◽

pp. 19 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Bin Zhang ◽

Rodica Cristescu ◽

Douglas B. Chrisey ◽

Roger J. Narayan

Keyword(s):

Tissue Engineering ◽

3D Printing ◽

New Technology ◽

Three Dimensional ◽

Tissue Engineering Scaffolds ◽

Scaffold Fabrication ◽

Simultaneous Control ◽

Scaffold Structure ◽

3D Printed ◽

Natural Tissue

Three-dimensional (3D) printing has been emerging as a new technology for scaffold fabrication to overcome the problems associated with the undesirable microstructure associated with the use of traditional methods. Solvent-based extrusion (SBE) 3D printing is a popular 3D printing method, which enables incorporation of cells during the scaffold printing process. The scaffold can be customized by optimizing the scaffold structure, biomaterial, and cells to mimic the properties of natural tissue. However, several technical challenges prevent SBE 3D printing from translation to clinical use, such as the properties of current biomaterials, the difficulties associated with simultaneous control of multiple biomaterials and cells, and the scaffold-to-scaffold variability of current 3D printed scaffolds. In this review paper, a summary of SBE 3D printing for tissue engineering (TE) is provided. The influences of parameters such as ink biomaterials, ink rheological behavior, cross-linking mechanisms, and printing parameters on scaffold fabrication are considered. The printed scaffold structure, mechanical properties, degradation, and biocompatibility of the scaffolds are summarized. It is believed that a better understanding of the scaffold fabrication process and assessment methods can improve the functionality of SBE-manufactured 3D printed scaffolds.

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Fabricating spatially functionalized 3D-printed scaffolds for osteochondral tissue engineering

Journal of Biological Methods ◽

10.14440/jbm.2021.353 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 (1) ◽

pp. e146

Author(s):

Paula Camacho ◽

Matthew Fainor ◽

Kelly B. Seims ◽

John W. Tolbert ◽

Lesley W. Chow

Keyword(s):

Tissue Engineering ◽

3D Printing ◽

Spatial Organization ◽

Three Dimensional ◽

Stem Cell Differentiation ◽

Human Mesenchymal Stem Cell ◽

Layer By Layer ◽

Matrix Deposition ◽

3D Printed ◽

Osteochondral Tissue

Three-dimensional (3D) printing of biodegradable polymers has rapidly become a popular approach to create scaffolds for tissue engineering. This technique enables fabrication of complex architectures and layer-by-layer spatial control of multiple components with high resolution. The resulting scaffolds can also present distinct chemical groups or bioactive cues on the surface to guide cell behavior. However, surface functionalization often includes one or more post-fabrication processing steps, which typically produce biomaterials with homogeneously distributed chemistries that fail to mimic the biochemical organization found in native tissues. As an alternative, our laboratory developed a novel method that combines solvent-cast 3D printing with peptide-polymer conjugates to spatially present multiple biochemical cues in a single scaffold without requiring post-fabrication modification. Here, we describe a detailed, stepwise protocol to fabricate peptide-functionalized scaffolds and characterize their physical architecture and biochemical spatial organization. We used these 3D-printed scaffolds to direct human mesenchymal stem cell differentiation and osteochondral tissue formation by controlling the spatial presentation of cartilage-promoting and bone-promoting peptides. This protocol also describes how to seed scaffolds and evaluate matrix deposition driven by peptide organization.

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Combining Materials Obtained by 3D-Printing and Electrospinning from Commercial Polylactide Filament to Produce Biocompatible Composites

Polymers ◽

10.3390/polym13213806 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (21) ◽

pp. 3806

Author(s):

Pablo Romero-Araya ◽

Victor Pino ◽

Ariel Nenen ◽

Verena Cárdenas ◽

Francisca Pavicic ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mechanical Properties ◽

Tissue Engineering ◽

3D Printing ◽

Three Dimensional ◽

Fibrillar Structure ◽

3D Print ◽

3T3 Fibroblasts ◽

Custom Made ◽

3D Printers ◽

3D Printed

The design of scaffolds to reach similar three-dimensional structures mimicking the natural and fibrous environment of some cells is a challenge for tissue engineering, and 3D-printing and electrospinning highlights from other techniques in the production of scaffolds. The former is a well-known additive manufacturing technique devoted to the production of custom-made structures with mechanical properties similar to tissues and bones found in the human body, but lacks the resolution to produce small and interconnected structures. The latter is a well-studied technique to produce materials possessing a fibrillar structure, having the advantage of producing materials with tuned composition compared with a 3D-print. Taking the advantage that commercial 3D-printers work with polylactide (PLA) based filaments, a biocompatible and biodegradable polymer, in this work we produce PLA-based composites by blending materials obtained by 3D-printing and electrospinning. Porous PLA fibers have been obtained by the electrospinning of recovered PLA from 3D-printer filaments, tuning the mechanical properties by blending PLA with small amounts of polyethylene glycol and hydroxyapatite. A composite has been obtained by blending two layers of 3D-printed pieces with a central mat of PLA fibers. The composite presented a reduced storage modulus as compared with a single 3D-print piece and possessing similar mechanical properties to bone tissues. Furthermore, the biocompatibility of the composites is assessed by a simulated body fluid assay and by culturing composites with 3T3 fibroblasts. We observed that all these composites induce the growing and attaching of fibroblast over the surface of a 3D-printed layer and in the fibrous layer, showing the potential of commercial 3D-printers and filaments to produce scaffolds to be used in bone tissue engineering.

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Fabrication of Biocompatible Polycaprolactone–Hydroxyapatite Composite Filaments for the FDM 3D Printing of Bone Scaffolds

Applied Sciences ◽

10.3390/app11146351 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (14) ◽

pp. 6351

Author(s):

Chang Geun Kim ◽

Kyung Seok Han ◽

Sol Lee ◽

Min Cheol Kim ◽

Soo Young Kim ◽

...

Keyword(s):

3D Printing ◽

Fused Deposition Modeling ◽

Bone Structure ◽

Three Dimensional ◽

Tensile Tests ◽

Raw Material ◽

Fused Deposition ◽

Bone Scaffolds ◽

3D Printed ◽

Mechanical Tensile

Recently, three-dimensional printing (3DP) technology has been widely adopted in biology and biomedical applications, thanks to its capacity to readily construct complex 3D features. Using hot-melt extrusion 3DP, scaffolds for bone tissue engineering were fabricated using a composite of biodegradable polycaprolactone (PCL) and hydroxyapatite (HA). However, there are hardly any published reports on the application of the fused deposition modeling (FDM) method using feed filaments, which is the most common 3D printing method. In this study, we report on the fabrication and characterization of biocompatible filaments made of polycaprolactone (PCL)/hydroxyapatite (HA), a raw material mainly used for bone scaffolds, using FDM 3D printing. A series of filaments with varying HA content, from 5 to 25 wt.%, were fabricated. The mechanical and electrical properties of the various structures, printed using a commercially available 3D printer, were examined. Specifically, mechanical tensile tests were performed on the 3D-printed filaments and specimens. In addition, the electrical dielectric properties of the 3D-printed structures were investigated. Our method facilitates the fabrication of biocompatible structures using FDM-type 3DP, creating not only bone scaffolds but also testbeds for mimicking bone structure that may be useful in various fields of study.

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Biomimetic Design of 3D Printed Tissue-engineered bone Constructs

Current Nanoscience ◽

10.2174/1573413716999201022191909 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 16 ◽

Author(s):

Wei Liu ◽

Shifeng Liu ◽

Yunzhe Li ◽

Peng Zhou ◽

Qian ma

Keyword(s):

Tissue Engineering ◽

3D Printing ◽

Advanced Materials ◽

Bionic Design ◽

Material Interfaces ◽

Precise Control ◽

Cell Printing ◽

Biomimetic Scaffolds ◽

3D Printed

Abstract:: Surgery to repair damaged tissue, which is caused by disease or trauma, is being carried out all the time, and a desirable treatment is compelling need to regenerate damaged tissues to further improve the quality of human health. Therefore, more and more research focus on exploring the most suitable bionic design to enrich available treatment methods. 3D-printing, as an advanced materials processing approach, holds promising potential to create prototypes with complex constructs that could reproduce primitive tissues and organs as much as possible or provide appropriate cell-material interfaces. In a sense, 3D printing promises to bridge between tissue engineering and bionic design, which can provide an unprecedented personalized recapitulation with biomimetic function under the precise control of the composition and spatial distribution of cells and biomaterials. This article describes recent progress in 3D bionic design and the potential application prospect of 3D printing regenerative medicine including 3D printing biomimetic scaffolds and 3D cell printing in tissue engineering.

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