Hybrid Additive Microfabrication Scaffold Incorporated with Highly Aligned Nanofibers for Musculoskeletal Tissues

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Latest tissue engineering strategies for musculoskeletal tissues regeneration focus on creating a biomimetic microenvironment closely resembling the natural topology of extracellular matrix. This paper presents a novel musculoskeletal tissue scaffold fabricated by hybrid additive manufacturing method. METHODS: The skeleton of the scaffold was 3D printed by fused deposition modeling, and a layer of random or aligned polycaprolactone nanofibers were embedded between two frames. A parametric study was performed to investigate the effects of process parameters on nanofiber morphology. A compression test was performed to study the mechanical properties of the scaffold. Human fibroblast cells were cultured in the scaffold for 7 days to evaluate the effect of scaffold microstructure on cell growth. RESULTS: The tip-to-collector distance showed a positive correlation with the fiber alignment, and the electrospinning time showed a negative correlation with the fiber density. With reinforced nanofibers, the hybrid scaffold demonstrated superior compression strength compared to conventional 3D-printed scaffold. The hybrid scaffold with aligned nanofibers led to higher cell attachment and proliferation rates, and a directional cell organization. In addition, there was a nonlinear relationship between the fiber diameter/density and the cell actinfilament density. CONCLUSION: This hybrid biofabrication process can be established as a highly efficient and scalable platform to fabricate biomimetic scaffolds with patterned fibrous microstructure, and will facilitate future development of clinical solutions for musculoskeletal tissue regeneration.

3D Bioprinting in Tissue Engineering for Medical Applications: The Classic and the Hybrid

“…In a similar study reported by D. Sooriyaarachchi et al, a hybrid scaffold was fabricated by embedding electrospun aligned polycaprolactone (PCL) nanofibers between FDM prepared PLA frames. The resulting biomimetic scaffold exhibited a micrometer scale porous structure with enhanced cell attachment performance, well directed and organized cell growth and morphology, and enhanced mechanical properties [ 75 ]. It has also been reported that more native-like microenvironments have been integrated inside AM fabricated constructions via a conventional freeze-drying method [ 76 ] or unconventional layer-by-layer electrostatic self-assembly (E-LbL) [ 77 ].…”

Graphene Hybrid Materials for Controlling Cellular Microenvironments

“…In other words, cell differentiation requires physical effects that can be induced by fibrous proteins such as fibronectin. The framework that can provide this physical effect is a scaffold, as described in this study, and fibrous proteins can be absorbed into this framework and induce cell adhesion [ 63 , 64 , 65 , 66 ]. Taken together, it is clear that a variety of biocompatible materials (e.g., PDA, PLA) functionalized with ECM proteins (e.g., fibronectin, collagen) are effective in regulating various cellular functions, including stem cell differentiation, via controlling the cellular microenvironments.…”

Geometric anisotropy on biomaterials surface for vascular scaffold design: engineering and biological advances

“…However, due to the large pulling force these two methods are easy to make fibre discontinuous and difficult to peeling off. An alternative method applying two conductive frames (separated by a void gap) as the collector also forms orientated fibres effectively [41]. This method utilises the electrostatic forces that are in opposite directions and stretch the fibres between the two frames to align perpendicular to gap edges [39].…”