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Stereolithography of Three-Dimensional Bioactive Poly(Ethylene Glycol) Constructs with Encapsulated Cells

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Stereolithography (SL) was used to fabricate complex 3-D poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) hydrogels. Photopolymerization experiments were performed to characterize the solutions for use in SL, where the crosslinked depth (or hydrogel thickness) was measured at different laser energies and photoinitiator (PI) concentrations for two concentrations of PEG-dimethacrylate in solution (20% and 30% (w/v)). Hydrogel thickness was a strong function of PEG concentration, PI type and concentration, and energy dosage, and these results were utilized to successfully fabricate complex hydrogel structures using SL, including structures with internal channels of various orientations and multi-material structures. Additionally, human dermal fibroblasts were encapsulated in bioactive PEG photocrosslinked in SL. Cell viability was at least 87% at 2 and 24 h following fabrication. The results presented here indicate that the use of SL and photocrosslinkable biomaterials, such as photocrosslinkable PEG, appears feasible for fabricating complex bioactive scaffolds with living cells for a variety of important tissue engineering applications.

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Abbreviations

DP :

Penetration depth

EC :

Critical exposure (energy/area)

Eav :

Average energy exposure (energy/area)

PL :

Power of the laser

VS :

Speed of the laser

W0 :

Beam diameter

Wi :

Initial weight, weight of the sample immediately after fabrication

Wd :

Dry weight, weight of the sample after the excess water had evaporated

Ws :

Swollen weight, weight of the sample after allowed to swell in distilled water

Wrd :

Re-dry weight, weight of the sample after allowed to dry following swelling

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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This work was funded, in part, through the Texas Advanced Research (Advanced Technology/Technology Development and Transfer) Program under Grant Number 003661-0020-2003; NSF (Grant Number 0245071 to KA); the Chihuahua Government (scholarship to KA); and the Mr. and Mrs. MacIntosh Murchison Chair in Engineering (RW). The facilities within the W.M. Keck Border Biomedical Manufacturing and Engineering Laboratory (W.M. Keck BBMEL) used here contain equipment purchased through Grant Number 11804 from the W.M. Keck Foundation. The authors would like to thank Gladys Almodovar, Lorena Le Maitre, Amanda Cordova, and Dr. Kristine Garza from the UTEP Department of Biological Sciences for their technical assistance. Equipment and facilities in the Biological Sciences Department used here are maintained through NIH Grant Number G12 RR08124 from Research Centers at Minority Institutions (RCMI), NIH National Center for Research Resources. The authors would also like to thank Frank Medina, Luis Ochoa, and Angel Hernandez of the W.M. Keck BBMEL and Dr. Christopher Elkins at Stanford University for their assistance with various aspects of the project.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Mechanical Engineering, W. M. Keck Border Biomedical Manufacturing and Engineering Laboratory, University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, TX, 79968-0521, USA

    Karina Arcaute & Ryan B. Wicker

  2. Department of Bioengineering, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112, USA

    Brenda K. Mann

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  1. Karina Arcaute
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Correspondence to Ryan B. Wicker.

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Arcaute, K., Mann, B.K. & Wicker, R.B. Stereolithography of Three-Dimensional Bioactive Poly(Ethylene Glycol) Constructs with Encapsulated Cells. Ann Biomed Eng 34, 1429–1441 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10439-006-9156-y

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