Multiphoton crosslinking for biocompatible 3D printing of type I collagen.
Multiphoton fabrication is a powerful technique for three-dimensional (3D) printing of structures at the microscale. Many polymers and proteins have been successfully structured and patterned using this method. Type I collagen comprises a large part of the extracellular matrix for most tissue types and is a widely used cellular scaffold material for tissue engineering. Current methods for creating collagen tissue scaffolds do not allow control of local geometry on a cellular scale. This means the environment experienced by cells may be made up of the native material but unrelated to native cellular-scale structure. In this study, we present a novel method to allow multiphoton crosslinking of type I collagen with flavin mononucleotide photosensitizer. The method detailed allows full 3D printing of crosslinked structures made from unmodified type I collagen and uses only demonstrated biocompatible materials. Resolution of 1 μm for both standing lines and high-aspect ratio gaps between structures is demonstrated and complex 3D structures are fabricated. This study demonstrates a means for 3D printing with one of the most widely used tissue scaffold materials. High-resolution, 3D control of the fabrication of collagen scaffolds will facilitate higher fidelity recreation of the native extracellular environment for engineered tissues.
Department of Biomedical, Chemical and Environmental Engineering, The University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45221, USA.
Alex
A
Bell
Matthew
M
Kofron
Vasile
V
Nistor
D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000737:chemistry*; D062028:Bioprinting / Q000379:methods*; D024042:Collagen Type I / Q000737:chemistry*; D003432:Cross-Linking Reagents; D005486:Flavin Mononucleotide; D017319:Photosensitizing Agents; D066330:Printing, Three-Dimensional; D023822:Tissue Engineering / Q000379:methods*; D054457:Tissue Scaffolds / Q000737:chemistry*
D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D024042:Collagen Type I; D003432:Cross-Linking Reagents; D017319:Photosensitizing Agents; D005486:Flavin Mononucleotide