Chitosan Decorated 3D-Printed Scaffold for Tissue Engineering and Drug Delivery

Objectives: 3D printed scaffolds are attractive because of the capability of personalized and accurate control over geometric structure and their scalability. Polycaprolactone (PCL) has been widly used for 3D printed scaffolds by virtue of its excellent biocompatibility in bone regeneration. However, the bioinert nature of PCL and lack of drug loading capacity hinder their application. We recently developed an innovative chitosan-vanillin-bioglass (CVB) 3D porous scaffold with strong osteopromotive and antibacterial abilities as well as high water absorption capacity. We hypothesize that decorating 3D printed PCL scaffolds with porous CVB matrix (CVB/PCL) will take the advantages from both sides.
Methods: CVB/PCL composite scaffolds were prepared by the 3D printing/freeze-drying processes and characterized by SEM and mechanical test. Cells proliferation and osteogenic differentiation were quantified using MTS assay, ALP activity, and calcium content test, respectively.
Results: Our data showed porous CVB matrix uniformly filled the large pores of 3D printed PCL scaffolds. The “hard” part (PCL) provided good mechanical support, while the “soft” part (CVB) endowed the pro-osteogenic abilities and drug loading capacity. Human gingival fibroblast derived secretome (hGF-CM) was collected and enriched by using its unique ability for fast tissue healing. Our data confirmed that hGF-CM was able to increase the proliferation, migration, angiogenesis, and osteogenic differentiation of stem cells. Furthermore, sustained release of VEGF can be achieved after loading hGF-CM onto CVB scaffolds. The subcutaneous implantation model confirmed that hGF-CM loaded CVB can significantly improve host cell migration to the scaffolds.
Conclusions: Thus, the combination of 3D printing and CVB porous matrix is a promising approach to greatly expand the application of 3D printed scaffolds in tissue engineering and drug delivery.