Biodegradable Tyramine Functional Gelatin/6 Arms-PLA Inks Compatible with 3D Two Photon-Polymerization Printing and Meniscus Tissue Regeneration

Abstract

The meniscus regeneration can present major challenges such as mimicking tissue microstructuration or triggering cell regeneration. In the case of lesions that require a personalized approach, photoprinting offers the possibility of designing resolutive biomaterial structures. The photo-crosslinkable ink composition determines the process ease and the final network properties. In this study, we designed a range of hybrid inks composed of gelatin(G) and 6-PLA arms(P) that were photo-cross-linked using tyramine groups. The photo-cross-linking efficiency, mechanical properties, degradation, and biological interactions of inks with different G/P mass ratios were studied. The G50P50 network properties were suitable for meniscus regeneration, with Young's modulus of 6.5 MPa, degradation in 2 months, and good cell proliferation. We then confirmed the potential of these inks to produce high-resolution microstructures by printing well-defined microstructures using two-photon polymerization. These hybrid inks offer new perspectives for biocompatible, degradable, and microstructured tissue engineering scaffold creation.