Hyaluronic
acid (HA) hydrogel is preferred for biomedicine applications,
as it possesses biodegradability, biocompatibility, and cell-regulated
capacity as well as high hydration nature similar to the native extracellular
matrix. However, HA hydrogel fabricated via a 3D printing technique
often faces poor printing properties. In this study, maleiated sodium
hyaluronate (MHA) with a high substituted degree of the acrylate group
(i.e., 2.27) and thiolated sodium hyaluronate (SHHA) were synthesized.
By blending these modified HAs, the MHA/SHHA hydrogels were prepared
via pre-crosslinking through thiol–acrylate Michael addition
and subsequently covalent crosslinking using thiol–acrylate
and acrylate–acrylate photopolymerization mechanisms. Rheological
properties, swelling behaviors, and mechanical properties can be modulated
by altering the molar ratio of the thiol group and acrylate group.
The results showed that the MHA/SHHA hydrogel precursors have rapidly
gelling capacity and improved compressive strength. Based on these
results, high-resolution hydrogel scaffolds with good structural stability
were prepared by extrusion-based 3D printing. This HA hydrogel is
cytocompatible and capable of supporting adherence of L929 cells,
indicating its great potential for tissue engineering scaffolds.