Sugar glass fugitive ink loaded with calcium chloride for the rapid casting of alginate scaffold designs. Issue 7 (July 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Gauvin-Rossignol, Gabrielle; Legros, Philippe; Ruel, Jean; Fortin, Marc-André; Bégin-Drolet, André
• Is Part Of: Heliyon. Volume 4:Issue 7(2018)
• Publication Date: 2018-07
• Subjects: Biomedical engineering -- Materials science; Research -- Periodicals; Medical sciences -- Periodicals; Natural history -- Periodicals; Social sciences -- Periodicals; Earth sciences -- Periodicals; Physical sciences -- Periodicals; 507.2
• DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2018.e00680
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2405-8440

Abstract

Abstract: Alginate-based hydrogels are widely used for the development of biomedical scaffolds in regenerative medicine. The use of sugar glass as a sacrificial template for fluidic channels fabrication within alginate scaffolds remains a challenge because of the premature dissolution of sugar by the water contained in the alginate as well as the relatively slow internal gelation rate of the alginate. Here, a new and simple method, based on a sugar glass fugitive ink loaded with calcium chloride to build sacrificial molds, is presented. We used a dual calcium cross-linking process by adding this highly soluble calcium source in the printed sugar, thus allowing the rapid gelation of a thin membrane of alginate around the sugar construct, followed by the addition of calcium carbonate and gluconic acid δ-lactone to complete the process. This innovative technique results in the rapid formation of "on-demand" alginate hydrogel with complex fluidic channels that could be used in biomedical applications such as highly vascularized scaffolds promoting pathways for nutrients and oxygen to the cells.