Trachea stents are widely used to treat stenosis arising from various trachea injuries. However, they are associated with inflammation, re-stenosis, and tracheal obstruction. Seeking to overcome these problems, the development of an artificial trachea using tissue engineering has been explored. However, the artificial trachea did not mimic the natural rigidity and flexibility of the trachea and provide the micro-environment necessary for re-epithelialization. In this study, we developed a thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) trachea scaffold that possesses a restoration characteristic, using flexible 3D printed patterns, and an improved cell attachment performance, utilizing electrospun fibers. With the aim of enhancing flexibility, we compared two geometric tubes, one with a straight pattern (SP) and the other with a wave pattern (WP). Simulation results showed that the WP scaffold was more flexible than the SP scaffold. A tensile expansion and torsion experiment demonstrated lower tensile strength and elastic modulus, and higher elongation ratio and rotation angle of the WP scaffold. Addition of the electrospun layers increased the tensile strength and elastic modulus and decreased the elongation ratio and rotation angle of both the SP and WP scaffolds. The same trend was observed regardless of electrospinning. However, polycaprolactone (PCL)-based scaffolds displayed lower elongation ratio and rotation angle in simulations and experiments. Although the cell attachment capacity of TPU-based electrospun WP scaffolds was less than 10% that of PCL-based scaffolds, the former showed good initial cell attachment performance and their cell numbers increased by more than three times within a week. The improved biomechanical performance and cell affinity of the TPU trachea scaffold could be exploited in patient-customized grafts for trachea reconstruction.
A trachea has a structure capable of responding to various movements such as rotation of the neck and relaxation/contraction of the conduit due to the mucous membrane and cartilage tissue. However, current reported tubular implanting structures are difficult to impelement as replacements for original trachea movements. Therefore, in this study, we developed a new trachea implant with similar anatomical structure and mechanical properties to native tissue using 3D printing technology and evaluated its performance. A 250 µm-thick layer composed of polycaprolactone (PCL) nanofibers was fabricated on a rotating beam using electrospinning technology, and a scaffold with C-shaped cartilage grooves that mimics the human airway structure was printed to enable reconstruction of cartilage outside the airway. A cartilage type scaffold had a highest rotational angle (254°) among them and it showed up to 2.8 times compared to human average neck rotation angle. The cartilage type showed a maximum elongation of 8 times higher than that of the bellows type and it showed the elongation of 3 times higher than that of cylinder type. In cartilage type scaffold, gelatin hydrogel printed on the outside of the scaffold was remain 22.2% under the condition where no hydrogel was left in other type scaffolds. In addition, after 2 days of breathing test, the amount of gelatin remaining inside the scaffold was more than twice that of other scaffolds. This novel trachea scaffold with hydrogel inside and outside of the structure was well-preserved under external flow and is expected to be advantageous for soft tissue reconstruction of the trachea.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.