Godau Brent, Stefanek Evan, Gharaie Sadaf Samimi, Amereh Meitham, Pagan Erik, Marvdashti Zohreh, Libert-Scott Eryn, Ahadian Samad, Akbari Mohsen
Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC V8P 5C2, Canada.
Centre for Advanced Materials and Related Technologies, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC V8P 5C2, Canada.
iScience. 2022 Apr 13;25(5):104251. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.104251. eCollection 2022 May 20.
Characterizing the mechanical properties of engineered tissue constructs provides powerful insight into the function of engineered tissues for their desired application. Current methods of mechanical characterization of soft hydrogels used in tissue engineering are often destructive and ignore the effect of 3D bioprinting on the overall mechanical properties of a whole tissue construct. This work reports on using a non-destructive method of viscoelastic analysis to demonstrate the influence of bioprinting strategy on mechanical properties of hydrogel tissue scaffolds. Structure-function relationships are developed for common 3D bioprinting parameters such as printed fiber size, printed scaffold pattern, and bioink formulation. Further studies include mechanical properties analysis during degradation, real-time monitoring of crosslinking, mechanical characterization of multi-material scaffolds, and monitoring the effect of encapsulated cell growth on the mechanical strength of 3D bioprinted scaffolds. We envision this method of characterization opening a new wave of understanding and strategy in tissue engineering.
表征工程化组织构建体的力学性能，能为工程化组织在其预期应用中的功能提供有力见解。目前用于组织工程中软水凝胶力学表征的方法通常具有破坏性，并且忽略了3D生物打印对整个组织构建体整体力学性能的影响。这项工作报道了使用一种非破坏性的粘弹性分析方法，来证明生物打印策略对水凝胶组织支架力学性能的影响。针对常见的3D生物打印参数，如打印纤维尺寸、打印支架图案和生物墨水配方，建立了结构-功能关系。进一步的研究包括降解过程中的力学性能分析、交联的实时监测、多材料支架的力学表征，以及监测封装细胞生长对3D生物打印支架力学强度的影响。我们设想这种表征方法将开启组织工程领域新一轮的理解和策略。
