Preparation of a novel regenerated silk fibroin-based hydrogel for extrusion bioprinting

Chen, Ni1,2; Zhang, Xinbo3; Lyu, Jinyang4; Zhao, Guanglei4; Gu, Kai1,2; Xia, Jun4; Chen, Zhongchun5; Shao, Zhengzhong1,2

2022-08-01

10.1039/d2sm00984f

Soft Matter   Impact Factor & Quartile

1744-683X

1744-6848

Three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting technology, allowing rapid prototyping and personalized customization, has received much attention in recent years, while regenerated silk fibroin (RSF) has also been widely investigated for its excellent biocompatibility, processibility, and comprehensive mechanical properties. However, due to the difficulty in curing RSF aqueous solution and the tendency of conformational transition of RSF chains under shearing, it is rather complicated to fabricate RSF-based materials with high mechanical strength through extrusion bioprinting. To solve this problem, a printable hydrogel with thixotropy was prepared from regenerated silk fibroin with high-molecular-weight (HMWRSF) combined with a small amount of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) in urea containing aqueous solution. It was found that the introduction of urea could not only vary the solid content of the hydrogel to benefit the mechanical properties of the 3D-bioprinted pre-cured hydrogels or 3D-bioprinted sponges, but also expand the "printable window" of this system. Indeed, the printability and rheological properties could be modulated by varying the solid content, the heating time, the urea/HMWRSF weight ratio, etc. Moreover, the microstructure of nanospheres stacked in these lyophilized 3D-bioprinted sponges was interesting to observe, which indicated the existence of microhydrogels and both "the reversible network" and "the irreversible network" in this HMWRSF-based pre-cured hydrogel. Like other HMWRSF materials fabricated in other ways, these 3D-bioprinted HMWRSF-based sponges exhibited good cytocompatibility for dental pulp mesenchymal stem cells. This work may inspire the design of functional HMWRSF-based materials by regulating the relationship between structure and properties.

SCI

English

Others

National Natural Science Foundation of China[21935002] ; Ministry of Science and Technology of China[2020YFC2002804] ; Shanghai Municipal Health Commission[201940170] ; Shanghai Natural Science Foundation[19ZR1407700]

Chemistry ; Materials Science ; Physics ; Polymer Science

Chemistry, Physical ; Materials Science, Multidisciplinary ; Physics, Multidisciplinary ; Polymer Science

WOS:000857916400001

ROYAL SOC CHEMISTRY

Web of Science

1.Fudan Univ, Lab Adv Mat, State Key Lab Mol Engn Polymers, Shanghai 200433, Peoples R China
2.Fudan Univ, Dept Macromol Sci, Shanghai 200433, Peoples R China
3.Southern Univ Sci & Technol, Dept Mat Sci & Engn, Shenzhen 518055, Guangdong, Peoples R China
4.Fudan Univ, Huashan Hosp, Dept Orthoped Surg, Shanghai 200040, Peoples R China
5.Fudan Univ, Huashan Hosp, Dept Otorhinolaryngol Head & Neck Surg, Shanghai 200040, Peoples R China

Chen, Ni,Zhang, Xinbo,Lyu, Jinyang,et al. Preparation of a novel regenerated silk fibroin-based hydrogel for extrusion bioprinting[J]. Soft Matter,2022.

Chen, Ni.,Zhang, Xinbo.,Lyu, Jinyang.,Zhao, Guanglei.,Gu, Kai.,...&Shao, Zhengzhong.(2022).Preparation of a novel regenerated silk fibroin-based hydrogel for extrusion bioprinting.Soft Matter.

Chen, Ni,et al."Preparation of a novel regenerated silk fibroin-based hydrogel for extrusion bioprinting".Soft Matter (2022).