3D-printed PLA/Gel hybrid in liver tissue engineering: Effects of
architecture on biological functions
Abstract
The liver is one of the vital organs in the body, and the gold standard
of treatment for liver function impairment is liver transplantation,
which poses many challenges. The specific 3D structure of liver, which
significantly impacts the growth and function of its cells, has made
biofabrication with the 3D printing of scaffolds suitable for this
approach. In this study, to investigate the effect of scaffold geometry
on the performance of HepG2 cells, Poly-Lactic acid (PLA) polymer was
used as the input of the Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) 3D-printing
machine. Samples with simple square and bioinspired hexagonal
cross-section designs were printed. 1% and 2% of gelatin-coating were
applied to the 3D printed PLA to improve the wettability and surface
properties of the scaffold. SEM pictures were used to analyze the
structural properties of PLA-Gel hybrid scaffolds, EDS to investigate
the presence of gelatin, water contact angle measurement for
wettability, and weight loss for degradation. In vitro tests were
performed by culturing HepG2 cells on the scaffold to evaluate the cell
adhesion, viability, cytotoxicity, and specific liver functions. Then,
high-precision scaffolds were printed and the presence of gelatin was
detected. Also, the effect of geometry on cell function was confirmed in
viability, adhesion, and functional tests. The albumin and urea
production of the Hexagonal PLA scaffold was about 1.22
±0.02 fold higher than the square design in 3 days.
This study will hopefully advance our understanding of liver tissue
engineering toward a promising perspective for liver regeneration.