Mechanical Characterization of 3D-Printed Patterned Membranes for Cardiac Tissue Engineering: An Experimental and Numerical Study

Aurelia Poerio; Bertrand Guibert; Mélanie M Leroux; João F Mano; Franck Cleymand; Jean-Philippe Jehl

doi:10.3390/biomedicines11030963

Mechanical Characterization of 3D-Printed Patterned Membranes for Cardiac Tissue Engineering: An Experimental and Numerical Study

Biomedicines. 2023 Mar 21;11(3):963. doi: 10.3390/biomedicines11030963.

Authors

Aurelia Poerio¹, Bertrand Guibert¹, Mélanie M Leroux¹, João F Mano², Franck Cleymand¹, Jean-Philippe Jehl¹

Affiliations

¹ Institut Jean Lamour, UMR 7198 CNRS, Université de Lorraine, 54011 Nancy, France.
² Department of Chemistry, CICECO-Aveiro Institute of Materials, University of Aveiro, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal.

Abstract

A myocardial infarction can cause irreversible damage to the heart muscle. A promising approach for the treatment of myocardial infarction and prevention of severe complications is the application of cardiac patches or epicardial restraint devices. The challenge for the fabrication of cardiac patches is the replication of the fibrillar structure of the myocardium, in particular its anisotropy and local elasticity. In this study, we developed a chitosan-gelatin-guar gum-based biomaterial ink that was fabricated using 3D printing to create patterned anisotropic membranes. The experimental results were then used to develop a numerical model able to predict the elastic properties of additional geometries with tunable elasticity that could easily match the mechanical properties of the heart tissue (particularly the myocardium).

Keywords: 3D bioprinting; biomaterials; cardiac membrane; mechanical behavior; numerical simulation; tissue engineering.

Grants and funding

This work was supported by CARE & ASCATIM FEDER PROJECTS (University of Lorraine), by the French PIA project “Lorraine Université d’Excellence” and was conducted within the framework of the project HOPE. This work was also developed within the scope of the project CICECO-Aveiro Institute of Materials, UIDB/50011/2020 and UIDP/50011/2020, financed by national funds through the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology/MCTES.