3D Printed Chitosan-Pectin Hydrogels: From Rheological Characterization to Scaffold Development and Assessment
Iratxe Zarandona,
Carlos Bengoechea,
Estefanía Álvarez-Castillo,
Koro de la Caba,
Antonio Guerrero,
Pedro Guerrero
Affiliations
Iratxe Zarandona
BIOMAT Research Group, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Escuela de Ingeniería de Gipuzkoa, Plaza de Europa 1, 20018 Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain
Carlos Bengoechea
Departamento de Ingeniería Química, Universidad de Sevilla, Escuela Politécnica Superior, Calle Virgen de África, 7, 41011 Sevilla, Spain
Estefanía Álvarez-Castillo
Departamento de Ingeniería Química, Universidad de Sevilla, Escuela Politécnica Superior, Calle Virgen de África, 7, 41011 Sevilla, Spain
Koro de la Caba
BIOMAT Research Group, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Escuela de Ingeniería de Gipuzkoa, Plaza de Europa 1, 20018 Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain
Antonio Guerrero
Departamento de Ingeniería Química, Universidad de Sevilla, Escuela Politécnica Superior, Calle Virgen de África, 7, 41011 Sevilla, Spain
Pedro Guerrero
BIOMAT Research Group, University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU), Escuela de Ingeniería de Gipuzkoa, Plaza de Europa 1, 20018 Donostia-San Sebastián, Spain
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.
