title: Assessment of biocompatibility of 3D printed photopolymers using zebrafish embryo toxicity assays.
abstract: 3D printing has emerged as a rapid and cost-efficient manufacturing technique to enable the fabrication of bespoke, complex prototypes. If the technology is to have a significant impact in biomedical applications, such as drug discovery and molecular diagnostics, the devices produced must be biologically compatible to enable their use with established reference assays and protocols. In this work we demonstrate that we can adapt the Fish Embryo Test (FET) as a new method to quantify the toxicity of 3D printed microfluidic devices. We assessed the biocompatibility of four commercially available 3D printing polymers (VisiJetCrystal EX200, Watershed 11122XC, Fototec SLA 7150 Clear and ABSplus P-430), through the observation of key developmental markers in the developing zebrafish embryos. Results show all of the photopolymers to be highly toxic to the embryos, resulting in fatality, although we do demonstrate that post-printing treatment of Fototec 7150 makes it suitable for zebrafish culture within the FET.
authors.affiliation: Division of Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering, University of Glasgow, Rankine Building, Oakfield Avenue, Glasgow G12 8LT, UK. Jon.Cooper@glasgow.ac.uk.
authors.forename: N P
authors.initials: NP
authors.lastname: Macdonald
authors.affiliation: The BioMEMS Research Group, School of Applied Sciences, RMIT University, Melbourne VIC 3083, Australia.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Medicine and Pathology, University of Auckland, Auckland 1023, New Zealand.
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Hall
authors.affiliation: Division of Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering, University of Glasgow, Rankine Building, Oakfield Avenue, Glasgow G12 8LT, UK. Jon.Cooper@glasgow.ac.uk.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Reboud
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Medicine and Pathology, University of Auckland, Auckland 1023, New Zealand.
authors.forename: P S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Crosier
authors.affiliation: MRC Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine, MRC Human Genetics Unit, Edinburgh, UK.
authors.forename: E E
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: Patton
authors.affiliation: The BioMEMS Research Group, School of Applied Sciences, RMIT University, Melbourne VIC 3083, Australia.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wlodkowic
authors.affiliation: Division of Biomedical Engineering, School of Engineering, University of Glasgow, Rankine Building, Oakfield Avenue, Glasgow G12 8LT, UK. Jon.Cooper@glasgow.ac.uk.
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Cooper
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000138:chemical synthesis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000633:toxicity*; D046210:Microfluidic Analytical Techniques / Q000295:instrumentation; D055668:Photochemical Processes; D011108:Polymers / Q000138:chemical synthesis* / Q000737:chemistry / Q000633:toxicity*; D066330:Printing, Three-Dimensional; D018675:Toxicity Tests / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D015027:Zebrafish / Q000196:embryology*
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D011108:Polymers