Printable Bioscaffolds Using MXenes for Musculoskeletal Tissue Engineering
Abstract
Musculoskeletal disease is the number one cause of physical disability in the world. A potential cure for this is tissue engineering; specifically, culturing STEM cells into scaffolds to create tissue specific grafts to be surgically implanted. We successfully printed bioscaffolds with high structural integrity and sufficient conductivity to aid in the functionality of the muscle cells by using cell-laden bioinks with Ti3C2 MXene nanoparticles. Furthermore, we tested GelMA, GelXA, and Cellink bioinks at a seeding density of 1x106 cells/mL with 0, 0.1, and 1.0 mg/mL MXene concentrations. UV Crosslinking of GelMA and GelXA was determined to be less functional with higher concentrations of MXenes due to light deflection. Additionally, chemical crosslinking in GelXA and Cellink led to better structural integrity. Overall, MXenes improved the mechanical and electrical properties of the scaffold while maintaining cell viability.
Printable Bioscaffolds Using MXenes for Musculoskeletal Tissue Engineering
Musculoskeletal disease is the number one cause of physical disability in the world. A potential cure for this is tissue engineering; specifically, culturing STEM cells into scaffolds to create tissue specific grafts to be surgically implanted. We successfully printed bioscaffolds with high structural integrity and sufficient conductivity to aid in the functionality of the muscle cells by using cell-laden bioinks with Ti3C2 MXene nanoparticles. Furthermore, we tested GelMA, GelXA, and Cellink bioinks at a seeding density of 1x106 cells/mL with 0, 0.1, and 1.0 mg/mL MXene concentrations. UV Crosslinking of GelMA and GelXA was determined to be less functional with higher concentrations of MXenes due to light deflection. Additionally, chemical crosslinking in GelXA and Cellink led to better structural integrity. Overall, MXenes improved the mechanical and electrical properties of the scaffold while maintaining cell viability.