Development of Three-Dimensional Alginate Encapsulated Chondrocyte Hybrid Scaffold Using Microstereolithography

Hydrogels are useful materials because of their chemical similarity to extracellular matrix and their ability to rapidly diffuse hydrophilic nutrients and metabolites. Using rapid prototyping methods, we fabricated freeform three-dimensional (3D) scaffolds with chondrocytes encapsulated in an alginate hydrogel. The 3D hybrid scaffold was developed as combination of two components, a trimethylene carbonate (TMC)/trimethylolpropane (TMP) framework and an alginate hydrogel within an encapsulation of chondrocytes. To develop 3D hybrid scaffolds, we employed a microstereolithography system. The biodegradable, photopolymerizable liquid prepolymer was prepared by the polymerization of TMC with TMP and subsequently end capped with an acrylate group. The meshed framework of scaffolds withstood mechanical loading effectively. The line depth and linewidth could be controlled by varying laser power, scan path, and scan speed. Results of cell culture indicate that the biomimetic nature of these encapsulated chondrocyte scaffolds effectively retain the phenotypic function of chondrocytes within the scaffold structure. The proposed 3D hybrid scaffolds can be used for cartilage regeneration.