TY - JOUR
T1 - Vat photopolymerization of liquid, biodegradable PLGA-based oligomers as tissue scaffolds
AU - Wilts, Emily M.
AU - Gula, Aleena
AU - Davis, Corey
AU - Chartrain, Nicholas
AU - Williams, Christopher B.
AU - Long, Timothy E.
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors would like to thank the National Science Foundation’s Research Experience for Undergraduates Program (Award ID Number: CHE-1560240) from the Macromolecules Innovation Institute at Virginia Tech in summer 2018, Keyton Feller for 3D printing support, and Shantel Schexnayder and Allison Pekkanen for preliminary data.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 Elsevier Ltd
PY - 2020/5/5
Y1 - 2020/5/5
N2 - Additive manufacturing (AM) of tissue scaffolds provides medical professionals and patients with personalized treatment options, which align with patients’ specific physiology and provide a more efficient and precise manufacturing process. Vat photopolymerization (VP) AM affords biocompatible, degradable, and high-resolution scaffolds capable of achieving specific pore sizes necessary for tissue regeneration. Earlier biodegradable, photoactive polymers for the VP platform usually require dissolution in a solvent or water, which often results in anisotropic shrinkage upon drying and inconsistencies in the final part geometry. This work describes a photoactive oligomeric precursor that eliminates the requirement for water or solvent during VP. Poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) diacrylates with low number-average molecular weights (< 1400 g mol−1) provided liquid, viscous precursors. Upon crosslinking, the networks exhibited mechanical strength and low cytotoxicity, which are prerequisites for soft tissue scaffolds. Systematically varying the ratios of lactide to glycolide provided a range of degradation rates from 4 to 12 wks. Tailored degradation rates will enable use in different anatomical environments. Cytotoxicity and cell attachment studies revealed crosslinked films that promoted cell growth and proliferation. This manuscript describes an expanded polymer toolbox for AM of tissue scaffolds with precise resolution in the absence of solvents.
AB - Additive manufacturing (AM) of tissue scaffolds provides medical professionals and patients with personalized treatment options, which align with patients’ specific physiology and provide a more efficient and precise manufacturing process. Vat photopolymerization (VP) AM affords biocompatible, degradable, and high-resolution scaffolds capable of achieving specific pore sizes necessary for tissue regeneration. Earlier biodegradable, photoactive polymers for the VP platform usually require dissolution in a solvent or water, which often results in anisotropic shrinkage upon drying and inconsistencies in the final part geometry. This work describes a photoactive oligomeric precursor that eliminates the requirement for water or solvent during VP. Poly(lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) diacrylates with low number-average molecular weights (< 1400 g mol−1) provided liquid, viscous precursors. Upon crosslinking, the networks exhibited mechanical strength and low cytotoxicity, which are prerequisites for soft tissue scaffolds. Systematically varying the ratios of lactide to glycolide provided a range of degradation rates from 4 to 12 wks. Tailored degradation rates will enable use in different anatomical environments. Cytotoxicity and cell attachment studies revealed crosslinked films that promoted cell growth and proliferation. This manuscript describes an expanded polymer toolbox for AM of tissue scaffolds with precise resolution in the absence of solvents.
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U2 - 10.1016/j.eurpolymj.2020.109693
DO - 10.1016/j.eurpolymj.2020.109693
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85083115548
SN - 0014-3057
VL - 130
JO - European Polymer Journal
JF - European Polymer Journal
M1 - 109693
ER -