3D Printed Chitosan-Pectin Hydrogels: From Rheological Characterization to Scaffold Development and Assessment

Abstract

Chitosan-pectin hydrogels were prepared, and their rheological properties were assessed in order to select the best system to develop scaffolds by 3D printing. Hydrogels showed a weak gel behavior with shear thinning flow properties, caused by the physical interactions formed between both polysaccharides, as observed by FTIR analysis. Since systems with high concentration of pectin showed aggregations, the system composed of 2 wt% chitosan and 2 wt% pectin (CHI2PEC2) was selected for 3D printing. 3D printed scaffolds showed good shape accuracy, and SEM and XRD analyses revealed a homogeneous and amorphous structure. Moreover, scaffolds were stable and kept their shape and size after a cycle of compression sweeps. Their integrity was also maintained after immersion in PBS at 37 °C, showing a high swelling capacity, suitable for exudate absorption in wound healing applications.

Improving Chitosan Hydrogels Printability: A Comprehensive Study on Printing Scaffolds for Customized Drug Delivery

“…Despite being possible to print scaffolds with the chitosan hydrogel, the structures obtained did not match the desired quality. One of the major limitations when using only chitosan to print 3D structures is the lack of mechanical properties that have been reported in previous studies [ 25 , 28 , 37 , 38 ]. Thus, to enhance the final printability and improve the mechanical properties of chitosan, some authors suggest the addition of other materials to the chitosan [ 21 ], such as starch [ 25 ].…”

“…Recent investigations have shown that the addition of other polymers to chitosan has resulted in better results in terms of printability [ 38 ], more specifically related to the combination of starch [ 25 ]. However, these investigations lack information associated with the optimal values and printing conditions necessary to produce the chitosan–starch hydrogels and the scaffolds.…”

Chitosan-Based Biomaterials: Insights into Chemistry, Properties, Devices, and Their Biomedical Applications

“…However, the inhomogeneity of the resulting hydrogels is still an issue; advancements towards improving the homogeneous distribution of electrostatic forces have been achieved through acidification of the mixture in the vapor phase, for example by resorting to CHT and pectin [ 166 ]. CHT-pectin hydrogels were optimized for 3D-printed scaffold production for regenerative medicine [ 167 ].…”

Recent Development of Functional Chitosan-Based Hydrogels for Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Applications

“…Chitosan-based physical hydrogels are produced by ion-complex formations with negatively charged molecules such as dicarboxylic acids [ 58 ], citric acid (tricarboxylic acid) [ 59 ], sulfates, phosphates [ 60 ], gallic acid [ 61 ], alginate [ 62 , 63 , 64 , 65 ], pectin [ 66 , 67 ], sulfoethyl cellulose [ 68 ], and hyaluronic acid [ 69 ]. Through the physical interaction between anions of these molecules and cations of chitosan hydrogels can be formed.…”