Parylene-C coating protects resin 3D printed devices from materials erosion and cytotoxicity

Abstract

Resin 3D printing is attractive for fabrication of microscale cell-culture devices, but common resin materials are unstable and toxic under cell culture conditions or extended periods of fluid flow. Here, we evaluated the effectiveness of using parylene-C coating of commercially available clear resins to prevent cytotoxic leaching, degradation of microfluidic devices, and absorption of small molecules. We found that parylene-C significantly improved both the cytocompatibility with primary white blood cell cultures and the material integrity of prints, while maintaining the favorable optical qualities held by clear resins.

A 3D-printed multi-compartment organ-on-chip platform with a tubing-free pump models communication with the lymph node

“…To improve biocompatibility of the 3D-printed material, the device and mesh supports were coated in Parylene-C as described previously. 49 In brief, a film of ~1 µm was achieved by adding 1.1 g of mixed isomers of Parylene-C (SCS, Inc. Indianapolis, IN, USA) to the Labcoater 2 parylene coater (SCS, Inc. Indianapolis, IN, USA) for gas-phase deposition onto the prints. Prior to culture of tissue in any 3D-printed device, the print and stir bar were sterilized by submerging in 70% ethanol for 5 min, followed by two 10 min rinses in 1xPBS (Lonza, Maryland, USA).…”

“…4). 61,62 DQ-OVA was injected into the upstream culture well to mimic s.c. injection (Fig. 4c) or added to the media in a well plate (off-chip) for comparison.…”

Parylene-C Coating Protects Resin-3D-Printed Devices from Material Erosion and Prevents Cytotoxicity toward Primary Cells

“…Here, we evaluated this coating for biomicrofluidic device fabrication by testing the cytocompatibility, material properties, and optical properties of coated versus uncoated resin 3D prints of varied geometry. 3D-printed wells (Figure 2a) and microchannel chips with raised port inlets (Figure 2b) 23 were used for evaluation of the cytocompatibility and material integrity, while 8 mm cubes (Figure 2c) were used to characterize the surface and optical properties. All prints were post-treated by washing with isopropyl alcohol and postcuring with UV light (details are provided in Protocol S1).…”