Fabrication and characterization of 3D-printed gellan gum/starch composite scaffold for Schwann cells growth

Abstract

Peripheral nerve injury has seriously affected patient’s health and life. Schwann cells play an important role in peripheral nerve regeneration. However, the effect of the current tissue engineered scaffolds for promoting Schwann cells growth is still not as good as that of autologous graft. In this study, new developed three-dimensional gellan gum/starch (GG/ST) scaffolds with various printing gap for Schwann cells growth were prepared by 3D printing technology. Various physiochemical characterizations of the printed scaffolds were performed including morphology, rheological behavior, swelling ratio, and degradation behavior. The cytotoxicity and biocompatibility of the scaffolds were evaluated using L929 fibroblasts and RSC96 Schwann cells, respectively. The results displayed that the GG/ST scaffold exhibited a porous network structure. The cross-sectional pore density of the hydrogel had a tendency to increase with the ascending printing gap. The swelling rate and degradation rate of the hydrogel gradually increased and eventually reached an equilibrium state. The rheological test results showed that the scaffolds had good printability. MTT cytotoxicity test and CCK-8 cell proliferation test displayed that the scaffold was nontoxic, and Schwann cells could grow well on the scaffold after 5 days of culture, whereas the number of cells on the scaffold with the printing gap of 3 mm was the largest. These results indicated that the GG/ST scaffold prepared by 3D printing technology may have a potential application in peripheral nerve regeneration.

Gellan gum modified hyaluronic acid hydrogels as viscosupplements with lubrication maintenance and enzymatic resistance

“…Compared with pure HA and GG, the cross-linked HEG still maintains good biocompatibility. 73,74 All in all, the CCK-8 test, live/dead assay, and DAPI/phalloidin staining show that the HEG based viscosupplements have good biocompatibility in the articular cavity environment, which presents great potential for intra-articular injection.…”

A Guide to Polysaccharide-Based Hydrogel Bioinks for 3D Bioprinting Applications

“…This modification strategy allowed the authors to obtain hydrogels with good mechanical and rheological properties and to print starch structures without the need for any additional heat treatment. In a different vein, pure starch was combined with gellan gum to formulate 3D-printed scaffolds with various printing gaps for seeding Schwann cells [ 148 ]. Results indicated that the printed constructs were stable, with adequate swelling ratios, and were non-cytotoxic toward the L929 fibroblast cell line.…”

Bioactive Composite Methacrylated Gellan Gum for 3D-Printed Bone Tissue-Engineered Scaffolds

“…GG dissolves in hot water assuming a “random coil” state and, when the temperature decreases, it self-organizes into a “double helix” structure, which is further stabilized by the presence of divalent cations [ 11 , 12 ]. GG and its derivatives have usually been employed as viscous enhancers [ 13 ] and in combination with other synthetic or natural polymers, such as starch [ 14 ], chitosan [ 15 ], methacrylated gelatin [ 16 ] and alginate [ 17 ], for regenerative medicine. As a biomaterial ink, it has many advantages over other hydrogels, including a high gelling efficiency at physiological temperature and a reasonable production cost [ 18 ].…”