Hsuan-Heng Lu (Erlangen, DE), Jessica Faber (Erlangen, DE), Anahita Ahmadi Soufivand (Erlangen, DE), Emine Karakaya (Erlangen, DE), Dr. Rainer Detsch (Erlangen, DE), Prof. Dr. Aldo R. Boccaccini (Erlangen, DE)
Abstract text (incl. figure legends and references)
Introduction: Bioprinting is a widely applied approach to print cell-laden scaffolds for tissue engineering applications. Oxidized alginate-gelatin (ADA-GEL) is a promising hydrogel with good biocompatibility and printability [1]. Tunable properties of ADA-GEL can be achieved by varying the oxidation degree (OD) of ADA [2].
Objectives: The objective of this study is to gain a full understanding of the influence of different ODs on degradation behavior, complex mechanical properties, and cell development of ADA-GEL bioinks.
Materials and methods: ADA is synthesized through oxidation of sodium alginate using sodium metaperiodate. We study the dimension and weight changes of ADA-GEL samples with different ODs over time, their mechanical properties by multi-modal mechanical analyses [3], and in vitro C2C12 myoblasts behavior.
Results: The OD of ADA is determined to be 6%, 13%, 19%, and 25%. ADA with a lower OD is expected to have longer polymer chains and more G-blocks for post-crosslinking with divalent ions. A decrease in degradation, an increase in stiffness and a more pronounced hysteresis are observed for the ADA-GEL samples with OD from 25% to 6%. Our cell study showed varied viability and morphology of C2C12 cells in ADA-GEL with different ODs.
Conclusion: Controlled oxidation of ADA can be reached by adjusting the amount of oxidizing agent, and ADA-GEL with tailored ODs show distinctive properties. The versatility of ODs allows its adaptation to required degradation behavior, mechanical properties, and cell behavior. Our study therefore serves as a valuable basis for further research in the field of Biofabrication with ADA-GEL as bioink of choice.
Acknowledgement: The authors acknowledge the German Research Foundation (DFG); Collaborative Research Center SFB/TRR225 (projects B03, B06, B09) for financial support.
References: [1] Saker et al., J. Mater. Chem. B, 2014.
[2] Karakaya et al., Biomacromolecules, 2023.
[3] Faber et al., Curr Protoc, 2(4):e381, 2022.