Application of microstereolithography in the development of three-dimensional cartilage regeneration scaffolds.
Conventional methods for fabricating three-dimensional (3-D) tissue engineering scaffolds have substantial limitations. In this paper, we present a method for applying microstereolithography in the construction of 3-D cartilage scaffolds. The system provides the ability to fabricate scaffolds having a pre-designed internal structure, such as pore size and porosity, by stacking photopolymerized materials. To control scaffold structure, CAD/CAM technology was used to generate a scaffold pattern algorithm. Since tissue scaffolds must be constructed using a biocompatible, biodegradable material, scaffolds were synthesized using liquid photocurable TMC/TMP, followed by acrylation at the terminal ends, and photocured under UV light irradiation. The solidification properties of the TMC/TMP polymer were also assessed. To assess scaffold functionality, chondrocytes were seeded on two types of 3-D scaffold and characterized for cell adhesion. Results indicate that scaffold geometry plays a critical role in chondrocyte adhesion, ultimately affecting the tissue regeneration utility of the scaffolds. These 3-D scaffolds could eventually lead to optimally designed constructs for the regeneration of various tissues, such as cartilage and bone.
Lee
Seung-Jae
SJ
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Pohang, Kyungbuk, 790-784, South Korea.
Kang
Hyun-Wook
HW
Park
Jung Kyu
JK
Rhie
Jong-Won
JW
Hahn
Sei Kwang
SK
Cho
Dong-Woo
DW
D000818:Animals; D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000737:chemistry*; D002356:Cartilage / Q000166:cytology* / Q000254:growth & development*; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D019902:Chondrocytes / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology*; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D008422:Materials Testing; D010781:Photography / Q000379:methods; D011817:Rabbits; D012038:Regeneration / Q000502:physiology*; D023822:Tissue Engineering / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods
D001672:Biocompatible Materials