Yao Kuo, Guo Kai, Wang Heran, Zheng Xiongfei
State Key Laboratory of Robotics, Shenyang Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang 110016, China.
University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
Micromachines (Basel). 2025 Apr 2;16(4):429. doi: 10.3390/mi16040429.
Scaffolds play a crucial role in tissue engineering as regenerative templates. Fabricating scaffolds with good biocompatibility and appropriate mechanical properties remains a major challenge in this field. This study proposes a method for preparing multi-material scaffolds, enabling the 3D printing of collagen and thermoplastic elastomers at room temperature. Addressing the previous challenges such as the poor printability of pure collagen and the difficulty of maintaining structural integrity during multilayer printing, this research improved the printability of collagen by optimizing its concentration and pH value and completed the large-span printing of thermoplastic elastomer using a precise temperature-control system. The developed hybrid scaffold has an interconnected porous structure, which can support the adhesion and proliferation of fibroblasts. The scaffolds were further treated with different post-treatment methods, and it was proven that the neutralized and cross-linked collagen scaffold, which has both nano-fibers and a certain rigidity, can better support the osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs). The research results show that the collagen thermoplastic elastomer hybrid scaffold has significant clinical application potential in soft tissue and hard tissue regeneration, providing a versatile solution to meet the diverse needs of tissue engineering.
支架作为再生模板在组织工程中起着至关重要的作用。制造具有良好生物相容性和适当机械性能的支架仍然是该领域的一项重大挑战。本研究提出了一种制备多材料支架的方法，能够在室温下对胶原蛋白和热塑性弹性体进行3D打印。针对纯胶原蛋白可打印性差以及多层打印过程中难以保持结构完整性等先前存在的挑战，本研究通过优化其浓度和pH值提高了胶原蛋白的可打印性，并使用精确的温度控制系统完成了热塑性弹性体的大跨度打印。所制备的混合支架具有相互连通的多孔结构，能够支持成纤维细胞的黏附和增殖。对支架进一步采用不同的后处理方法进行处理，结果表明，兼具纳米纤维和一定刚性的中和交联胶原蛋白支架能够更好地支持骨髓间充质干细胞（BMSC）的成骨分化。研究结果表明，胶原蛋白-热塑性弹性体混合支架在软组织和硬组织再生方面具有显著的临床应用潜力，为满足组织工程的多样化需求提供了一种通用的解决方案。
