TY - JOUR
T1 - Versatile, elastomeric and degradable polyHIPEs of poly(glycerol sebacate)-methacrylate and their application in vascular graft tissue-engineering
AU - Pashneh-Tala, Samand
AU - Field, Jonathan
AU - Fornesa, Blanca
AU - Molins Colomer, Maite
AU - Jackson, Caitlin E.
AU - Balcells, Mercedes
AU - Martorell, Jordi
AU - Claeyssens, Frederik
N1 - Funding Information:
The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: SPT and FC thank the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) for a Doctoral prize fellowship ( EP/M506618/1 ) and Impact Acceleration Account ( EP/×525790/1 ), and the Medical Research Council for a Confidence in Concept award ( MR/L012669/1 ). CEJ and FC thank the EPSRC, centre for doctoral training in Advanced Biomedical Materials PhD studentship funding (EP/S022201/1). FC also thanks the Royal Society for the funding of a Royal Society Leverhulme Trust Senior Research Fellowship 2022 (SRF\R1\221053). MB thanks Fundacio Empreses Institut Quimic de Sarria, La Caixa Foundation (Health Research 2019–198898), MISTI Global Seed Fund, the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion ( PID2021-124868OB-C21 and CPP2021-008438 ). JM the thanks the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovacion (PID2021-124868OB-C21 and CPP2021-008438). We also thank Niall Paterson, Vincent Nelis and Robbie Brodie from Vascutek Ltd. (Terumo Aortic (UK)) for advise and financial support.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 The Authors
PY - 2023/12
Y1 - 2023/12
N2 - Polymer scaffolds are an important enabling technology in tissue engineering. A wide range of manufacturing techniques have been developed to produce these scaffolds, including porogen leaching, phase separation, gas foaming, electrospinning and 3D printing. However, all of these techniques have limitations. Delivering suitable scaffold porosity, small feature sizes and macroscopic geometry remain challenging. Here, we present the development of a highly versatile scaffold fabrication method utilising emulsion templating to produce polymerised high internal phase emulsions (polyHIPEs) of the polymer poly(glycerol sebacate) methacrylate (PGS-M). PGS-M is biocompatible, degradable and highly elastic, with tunable mechanical properties. PGS-M was formulated into an emulsion using solvents and surfactants and then photocured into polyHIPE structures. The porosity, degradation behaviour, mechanical properties and biocompatibility of the PGS-M polyHIPEs was investigated. The versatility of the PGS-M polyHIPEs was demonstrated with the production of various complex tubular scaffold shapes, using injection moulding. These shapes were designed for applications in vascular graft tissue engineering and included straight tubes, bends, branches, functioning valves, and a representative aortic arch. The PGS-M polyHIPE scaffolds supported vascular smooth muscle cells (SMCs) in 3D cell culture in a bioreactor.
AB - Polymer scaffolds are an important enabling technology in tissue engineering. A wide range of manufacturing techniques have been developed to produce these scaffolds, including porogen leaching, phase separation, gas foaming, electrospinning and 3D printing. However, all of these techniques have limitations. Delivering suitable scaffold porosity, small feature sizes and macroscopic geometry remain challenging. Here, we present the development of a highly versatile scaffold fabrication method utilising emulsion templating to produce polymerised high internal phase emulsions (polyHIPEs) of the polymer poly(glycerol sebacate) methacrylate (PGS-M). PGS-M is biocompatible, degradable and highly elastic, with tunable mechanical properties. PGS-M was formulated into an emulsion using solvents and surfactants and then photocured into polyHIPE structures. The porosity, degradation behaviour, mechanical properties and biocompatibility of the PGS-M polyHIPEs was investigated. The versatility of the PGS-M polyHIPEs was demonstrated with the production of various complex tubular scaffold shapes, using injection moulding. These shapes were designed for applications in vascular graft tissue engineering and included straight tubes, bends, branches, functioning valves, and a representative aortic arch. The PGS-M polyHIPE scaffolds supported vascular smooth muscle cells (SMCs) in 3D cell culture in a bioreactor.
KW - Emulsion templating
KW - Poly(glycerol sebacate)
KW - PolyHIPE
KW - Porous polymers
KW - Tissue engineering
KW - Vascular graft
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85173904491&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.mtadv.2023.100432
DO - 10.1016/j.mtadv.2023.100432
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85173904491
SN - 2590-0498
VL - 20
JO - Materials Today Advances
JF - Materials Today Advances
M1 - 100432
ER -