3-D printing of biodegradable scaffolds to restore scar tissue: Design and model of a PLA proof of concept

GUZMÁN, GUIDO; SORDELLI, ANDREA; VALENZUELA ALVAREZ, MATIAS; GUTIERREZ, LUCIANA M.; RINFLERCH, ADRIANA; BELATTI, ANAHI; MAZZUOCOLO, LUIS; BOLONTRADE, MARCELA F.; RISK, MARCELO

Piriapolis

Congreso; XXII Congreso Argentino de Bioingeniería y XI Jornadas de Ingeniería Clínica, SABI 2020; 2020

SABI

Regenerative medicine (RM) has become relevant particularly because more than 150 million people worldwide have functional problems in tissues or organs. One of the strategies to restore function is the application of biomaterials with pre-administered cells. Materials to be used constitute one of the fundamental points in this process, since they positively or negatively influence the survival of the cells. One of the best known biomaterials is polylactic acid (PLA), a polyester that in the body degrades into lactic acid, which is easily removed. 3D-printing is being applied in RM to address the need for tissues and organs suitable for transplantation, and implies additional complexities, not only because of the possibility of combining materials and cells, but also because of the possibility of incorporating growth and/or differentiation factors. We approached the feasibility of printing biologically plausible tissue structures for organ replacement using 3D-printers and PLA as biomaterial. To this end we printed tubes as scaffolds that would substitute scar tissue.By Fusion 360 we designed tubes of 14.0 mm long (tolerance of ±0.05mm) and 5.4 mm in diameter (tolerance of ±0.05mm) of 1.72 mm thick PLA, with and without compartments, that were sterilized by UV light and ethylene oxide. The printing was done on a modified MakerParts1 printer with a 0.2mm diameter spout. Size,macrostructure and porosity would suit recellularization. We are currently approaching the use of fibroblasts to adhere to the scaffold to help in the regeneration process of the target tissue and provide anchoring for epithelial cells.