Development of multifunctional 3D printed bioscaffolds from polysaccharides and NiCu nanoparticles and their application

3D printed bioscaffolds from polysaccharide materials hold a huge promise in tissue engineering applications, especially in regard to in vitro culturing of pancreatic cells, which require cell-ECM mimicking interactions in all spatial dimensions to remain viable for longer times. Material features, surface characteristics and the physical nature of scaffolds at multiple scales (e.g., macro-porosity, micro-topography) should be tailored to mimic crucial aspects of native or pathologically transformed tissues. With this in mind, we prepared hybrid hydrogel formulations from commonly used materials (alginate, carboxymethyl cellulose, nanofibrillated cellulose) and optimized them for 3D printing. With the intention to fine-tune their printability, rheological, mechanical, swelling, degradation and surface properties, variable concentrations of NiCu nanoparticles were incorporated into the mentioned hydrogels. We showed that NiCu nanoparticles might provide an effective tool for controlling hydrogel viscosity and scaffold swelling, degradation and surface properties. All scaffolds also promoted cell adhering, cell aggregation, cell migration and support long-term growth of pancreatic cells, which also displayed a physiologically more relevant morphology. This study lays the groundwork for development of novel 3D printed bioscaffolds with tailorable properties with the purpose to recapitulate characteristics of native tissues more closely.