4D bioprinting: assessment of the rheological and thermal-responsive of a smart bioink based on alginate/gelatine/PNIPAm

• Grant number: 21/13949-5
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Visiting Researcher Grant - International
• Start date: July 06, 2022
• End date: July 05, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Interdisciplinary Subjects
• Principal Investigator: Jorge Vicente Lopes da Silva
• Grantee: Jorge Vicente Lopes da Silva
• Visiting researcher: Marcos Antonio Sabino Gutiérrez
• Visiting researcher institution: Universidad Simón Bolívar (USB), Venezuela
• Host Institution: Centro de Pesquisas Renato Archer (CENPRA). Ministério da Ciência, Tecnologia e Inovação (Brasil). Campinas , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Within the scope of bioengineering and tissue engineering, bioprinting has emerged as an outstanding area based on the versatility of the 3D printing process. Hydrogels are formed by hydrophilic molecules, therefore, they are potential biomaterials capable of encapsulating cells, with the objective that they can be arranged in a semi-solid and stable three-dimensional structure, where they can carry out processes of cell adhesion, differentiation and proliferation. Therefore, hydrogels must have biocompatibility characteristics that allow them to biomimic the extracellular matrix - important for cell viability. In this sense, two types of polymers can be highlighted as base materials for hydrogels: I) natural polymers or biopolymers such as collagen, gelatin (which can freeze at low temperatures), hyaluronic acid and alginate stand out precisely because they are biocompatible; II) Synthetic polymers such as poly(ethylene glycol), poly(caprolactone) and poly(lactic acid) can offer structural stability to the bioimposed biomaterial supported by technologies such as extrusion biofabrication, electrospinning or bioprinting techniques. On the other hand, within synthetic polymers, there are some that exhibit a smart behavior when subjected to external stimuli, such as PNIPAm, which changes phase due to a temperature change that occurs close to body temperature. It is interesting, then, to be able to combine the water solubility of these polymers, their already proven biocompatibility (according to what the scientific literature reports), and their possible smart character, to generate formulations that can be vehicles of cellular systems, and thus generate an smart bioink that can be processed in a 3D/4D bioprinting process. (AU)