A step toward engineering thick tissues: Distributing microfibers within 3D printed frames.

ABSTRACT: Microfiber mats for tissue engineering scaffolds support cell growth, but are limited by poor cell infiltration and nutrient transport. Three-dimensional printing, specifically fused deposition modeling (FDM), can rapidly produce customized constructs, but macroscopic porosity resulting from low resolution reduces cell seeding efficiency and prevents the formation of continuous cell networks. Here we describe the fabrication of hierarchical scaffolds that integrate a fibrous microenvironment with the open macropore structure of FDM. Biodegradable tyrosine-derived polycarbonate microfibers were airbrushed iteratively between layers of 3D printed support structure following optimization. Confocal imaging showed layers of airbrushed fiber mats supported human dermal fibroblast growth and extr

SUBMITTER: Molde J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7078963 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature