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Ning L, Zhu N, Smith A, Rajaram A, Hou H, Srinivasan S, Mohabatpour F, He L, Mclnnes A, Serpooshan V, Papagerakis P, Chen X. Noninvasive Three-Dimensional In Situ and In Vivo Characterization of Bioprinted Hydrogel Scaffolds Using the X-ray Propagation-Based Imaging Technique. ACS Appl Mater Interfaces 2021; 13:25611-25623. [PMID: 34038086 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.1c02297] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Hydrogel-based three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting has been illustrated as promising to fabricate tissue scaffolds for regenerative medicine. Notably, bioprinting of hydrated and soft 3D hydrogel scaffolds with desired structural properties has not been fully achieved so far. Moreover, due to the limitations of current imaging techniques, assessment of bioprinted hydrogel scaffolds is still challenging, yet still essential for scaffold design, fabrication, and longitudinal studies. This paper presents our study on the bioprinting of hydrogel scaffolds and on the development of a novel noninvasive imaging method, based on synchrotron propagation-based imaging with computed tomography (SR-PBI-CT), to study the structural properties of hydrogel scaffolds and their responses to environmental stimuli both in situ and in vivo. Hydrogel scaffolds designed with varying structural patterns were successfully bioprinted through rigorous printing process regulations and then imaged by SR-PBI-CT within physiological environments. Subjective to controllable compressive loadings, the structural responses of scaffolds were visualized and characterized in terms of the structural deformation caused by the compressive loadings. Hydrogel scaffolds were later implanted in rats as nerve conduits for SR-PBI-CT imaging, and the obtained images illustrated their high phase contrast and were further processed for the 3D structure reconstruction and quantitative characterization. Our results show that the scaffold design and printing conditions play important roles in the printed scaffold structure and mechanical properties. More importantly, our obtained images from SR-PBI-CT allow us to visualize the details of hydrogel 3D structures with high imaging resolution. It demonstrates unique capability of this imaging technique for noninvasive, in situ characterization of 3D hydrogel structures pre- and post-implantation in diverse physiological milieus. The established imaging platform can therefore be utilized as a robust, high-precision tool for the design and longitudinal studies of hydrogel scaffold in tissue engineering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liqun Ning
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5A9, Canada
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Emory University School of Medicine and Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30322, United States
| | - Ning Zhu
- Canadian Light Source, Saskatoon, SK S7N 2V3, Canada
- Division of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5A9, Canada
- Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5A9, Canada
| | - An Smith
- Department of Biology, College of Arts and Science, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5E2, Canada
| | - Ajay Rajaram
- Division of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5A9, Canada
| | - Huishu Hou
- Department of Surgery, Division of Neurosurgery, College of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5E5, Canada
| | - Subashree Srinivasan
- Division of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5A9, Canada
| | - Fatemeh Mohabatpour
- Division of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5A9, Canada
| | - Lihong He
- Division of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5A9, Canada
- Department of Cell Biology, Medical College of Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China
| | - Adam Mclnnes
- Division of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5A9, Canada
| | - Vahid Serpooshan
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, Emory University School of Medicine and Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30322, United States
- Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia 30322, United States
- Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, Georgia 30322, United States
| | - Petros Papagerakis
- College of Dentistry, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5E4, Canada
| | - Xiongbiao Chen
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5A9, Canada
- Division of Biomedical Engineering, College of Engineering, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5A9, Canada
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