Direct Ink Writing of Biocompatible Nanocellulose and Chitosan Hydrogels for Implant Mesh Matrices

Rubina Ajdary; Guillermo Reyes; Jani Kuula; Eija Raussi-Lehto; Tomi S Mikkola; Esko Kankuri; Orlando J Rojas

doi:10.1021/acspolymersau.1c00045

Direct Ink Writing of Biocompatible Nanocellulose and Chitosan Hydrogels for Implant Mesh Matrices

ACS Polym Au. 2022 Apr 13;2(2):97-107. doi: 10.1021/acspolymersau.1c00045. Epub 2021 Dec 10.

Authors

Rubina Ajdary^{1

2}, Guillermo Reyes¹, Jani Kuula³, Eija Raussi-Lehto^{3

4}, Tomi S Mikkola⁵, Esko Kankuri⁶, Orlando J Rojas^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Bioproducts and Biosystems, School of Chemical Engineering, Aalto University, PO Box 16300, FI-00076 Aalto, Espoo, Finland.
² Bioproducts Institute, Department of Chemical & Biological Engineering, Department of Chemistry and Department of Wood Science, 2360 East Mall, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3, Canada.
³ Department of Neuroscience and Biomedical Engineering, School of Science, Aalto University, PO Box 16300, FI-00076 Aalto, Espoo, Finland.
⁴ R&D Development Services, Metropolia University of Applied Sciences, PL 4000, FI-00079, Metropolia, Helsinki, Finland.
⁵ Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Helsinki, and Helsinki University Hospital, 00290 Helsinki, Finland.
⁶ Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, 00290 Helsinki, Finland.

Abstract

Direct ink writing via single or multihead extrusion is used to synthesize layer-by-layer (LbL) meshes comprising renewable polysaccharides. The best mechanical performance (683 ± 63 MPa modulus and 2.5 ± 0.4 MPa tensile strength) is observed for 3D printed structures with full infill density, given the role of electrostatic complexation between the oppositely charged components (chitosan and cellulose nanofibrils). The LbL structures develop an unexpectedly high wet stability that undergoes gradual weight loss at neutral and slightly acidic pH. The excellent biocompatibility and noncytotoxicity toward human monocyte/macrophages and controllable shrinkage upon solvent exchange make the cellular meshes appropriate for use as biomedical implants.