Application of restructured collagen-based biomaterials is generally restricted by their poor mechanical properties, which ideally must be close to those of a tissue being repaired. Here, we present an approach to the formation of a robust biomaterial using laser-induced curing of a photosensitive star-shaped polylactide. The created collagen-based structures demonstrated an increase in the Young's modulus by more than an order of magnitude with introduction of reinforcing patterns (from 0.15 ± 0.02 MPa for the untreated collagen to 51.2 ± 5.6 MPa for the reinforced collagen). It was shown that the geometrical configuration of the created reinforcing pattern affected the scaffold's mechanical properties only in the case of a relatively high laser radiation power density, when the effect of accumulated thermomechanical stresses in the photocured regions was significant. Photo-crosslinking of polylactide did not compromise the scaffold's cytotoxicity and provided fluorescent regions in the collagen matrix, that create a potential for noninvasive monitoring of such materials' biodegradation kinetics in vivo.
Keywords: Biocompatible polymers; Collagen; Mechanical properties; Photopolymerization; Reinforcements; Riboflavin.
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