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Controlled Mechanical Property Gradients Within a Digital Light Processing Printed Hydrogel-Composite Osteochondral Scaffold

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Abstract

Tissue engineered scaffolds are needed to support physiological loads and emulate the micrometer-scale strain gradients within tissues that guide cell mechanobiological responses. We designed and fabricated micro-truss structures to possess spatially varying geometry and controlled stiffness gradients. Using a custom projection microstereolithography (μSLA) system, using digital light projection (DLP), and photopolymerizable poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA) hydrogel monomers, three designs with feature sizes < 200 μm were formed: (1) uniform structure with 1 MPa structural modulus (\(E\)) designed to match equilibrium modulus of healthy articular cartilage, (2) \(E\) = 1 MPa gradient structure designed to vary strain with depth, and (3) osteochondral bilayer with distinct cartilage (\(E\) = 1 MPa) and bone (\(E\) = 7 MPa) layers. Finite element models (FEM) guided design and predicted the local mechanical environment. Empty trusses and poly(ethylene glycol) norbornene hydrogel-infilled composite trusses were compressed during X-ray microscopy (XRM) imaging to evaluate regional stiffnesses. Our designs achieved target moduli for cartilage and bone while maintaining 68–81% porosity. Combined XRM imaging and compression of empty and hydrogel-infilled micro-truss structures revealed regional stiffnesses that were accurately predicted by FEM. In the infilling hydrogel, FEM demonstrated the stress-shielding effect of reinforcing structures while predicting strain distributions. Composite scaffolds made from stiff μSLA-printed polymers support physiological load levels and enable controlled mechanical property gradients which may improve in vivo outcomes for osteochondral defect tissue regeneration. Advanced 3D imaging and FE analysis provide insights into the local mechanical environment surrounding cells in composite scaffolds.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported with funding from NIH R21/R33 HD090696, R01 AR069060, and the University of Colorado Gates Grubstake Fund. X-ray microscopy and unconfined compression testing was performed at MIMIC, CU Boulder (RRID: SCR_019307). The authors would like to thank Karl Johannes for fabricating the X-ray microscopy micrometer compression fixture.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Colorado at Boulder, 427 UCB, Boulder, CO, 80309, USA

    Kevin N. Eckstein & Virginia L. Ferguson

  2. Materials Science and Engineering Program, University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA

    John E. Hergert, Asais Camila Uzcategui, Stephanie J. Bryant, Robert R. McLeod & Virginia L. Ferguson

  3. BioFrontiers Institute, University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA

    Stephanie J. Bryant & Virginia L. Ferguson

  4. Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA

    Sarah A. Schoonraad & Stephanie J. Bryant

  5. Department of Electrical, Computer & Energy Engineering, University of Colorado at Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA

    Robert R. McLeod

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  1. Kevin N. Eckstein
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Kevin N. Eckstein: conceptualization, methodology, software, validation, formal analysis, investigation, writing—original draft, visualization. John E. Hergert: methodology, resources, writing—review & editing. Asais Camila Uzcategui: methodology, resources, writing—review & editing. Sarah A. Schoonraad: methodology, resources, writing—review & editing. Stephanie J. Bryant: conceptualization, resources, writing—review & editing, supervision, project administration, funding acquisition. Robert R. McLeod: conceptualization, methodology, supervision, project administration, resources, writing—review & editing, funding acquisition. Virginia L. Ferguson: conceptualization, methodology, resources, writing—review & editing supervision, project administration, funding acquisition.

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Correspondence to Virginia L. Ferguson.

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Eckstein, K.N., Hergert, J.E., Uzcategui, A.C. et al. Controlled Mechanical Property Gradients Within a Digital Light Processing Printed Hydrogel-Composite Osteochondral Scaffold. Ann Biomed Eng (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10439-024-03516-x

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