Development of three‐dimensional printed microfibrous structures using sodium alginate/silk fibroin bioink for tissue engineering application

Abstract

Tissue engineering is a method that involves incorporating cells using scaffold elements and growth factors to support the development or replacement of worn tissue and organs. Scaffolds, with proper form and dimension, along with natural physical and chemical features, are continually in need of improving performance and repairing damaged tissue. In this work, microfibrous three‐dimensional scaffolds composed of sodium alginate and silk fibroin natural polymers are reported. Sodium alginate/silk fibroin scaffolds were fabricated by three‐dimensional printing technique using aqueous sodium alginate/silk fibroin blends with weight ratios of 60/40, 70/30, 80/20, and 90/10. Sodium alginate/silk fibroin: (70/30) exhibited regulated swelling and degradation, responses with a tensile strength of 0.75±0.013 MPa. All the scaffolds had shown protein adsorption over 350 μg exhibiting their suitability as substrates for cell adhesion. The fabricated sodium alginate/silk fibroin scaffolds are hydrophilic and biocompatible as apparent from the contact angle, protein adsorption, 3‐[4, 5‐dimethylthiazole‐2‐yl]‐2, 5‐diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, and cell attachment studies. In vitro‐biomineralization study showed higher apatite layer deposition ability of the sodium alginate/silk fibroin: 70/30 scaffold. The result suggests that sodium alginate/silk fibroin: 70/30 scaffold might be used as a potential platform for tissue engineering application.