Fabrication and characterization of magnetic field-responsive self-healing ferrogel for 3D-printing

Abstract

Ferrogel has been often investigated and utilized in biomedical applications due to its unique properties in response to magnetic fields. However, its application had limitations due to the difficulty of fabricating sophisticated structures and low biocompatibility. In this study, 3D-prinable self-healing ferrogel was designed and prepared to overcome this limitation. A 3D construct responding to the magnetic field was fabricated using selfhealing hydrogel by the 3D printing method. Oxidized sodium hyaluronate and glycol chitosan were used as base biomaterials, and adipic acid dihydrazide was incorporated to induce self-healing behavior of the gel. Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles were also added to the gel for preparation of a magnetically-responding system. Various characteristics including physicochemical properties, biocompatibility, and printability of self-healing ferrogel were investigated. In addition, chondrogenic differentiation of ATDC5 cells cultured within hydrogel/ferrogel constructs was evaluated by applying the magnetic field. The 3D-printable self-healing ferrogel may be readily applicable to a wide range of biomedical fields.|자기장에 반응하는 고유한 특성으로 인하여 자성젤은 많은 응용 분야에서 사용하기위해 연구되고 있다. 그러나 구조의 제작 및 생체적합성 등의 이유로 인해서 그 적용이 제한되었다. 이 연구에서는 이러한 구조 제작의 어려움을 극복하기 위해, 삼차원 프린팅이 가능한 자가치유 자성젤을 개발하였다. 또한 자기장에 부분적으로 반응할 수 있는 구조를 자가치유 하이드로젤과 자성젤을 동시에 사용하여 3차원 프린팅 함으로써 제조하였다. 하이드로젤은 산화 히알루론산과 글리콜 키토산을 기본으로 사용하였고, 아디프산 다이하이드라자이드를 혼합하여 하이드로젤의 자가치유 특성을 유도하였다. 다음으로 자기장에 반응할 수 있도록 산화철 나노입자를 하이드로젤에 첨가하여 자성젤을 제조하였고, 자가치유 자성젤이 나타내는 다양한 물리화학적 특성, 생체적합성 및 자성젤의 인쇄성 등을 조사하였으며, 이러한 자성젤이 3차원 프린팅에 적합하다는 것을 확인하였다. 또한 하이드로젤/자성젤 하이브리드 구조 내에서 배양된 ATDC5 세포의 자기장에 의한 연골 분화는 해당 자성젤의 조직공학적 응용이 가능함을 시사하였다.이를 통해 3차원 프린팅이 가능한 자가치유 자성젤이 기존의 자성젤보다 넓은의공학적 범위에서 응용될 수 있을 것으로 기대된다.; Ferrogel has been often investigated and utilized in biomedical applications due to its unique properties in response to magnetic fields. However, its application had limitations due to the difficulty of fabricating sophisticated structures and low biocompatibility. In this study, 3D-prinable self-healing ferrogel was designed and prepared to overcome this limitation. A 3D construct responding to the magnetic field was fabricated using selfhealing hydrogel by the 3D printing method. Oxidized sodium hyaluronate and glycol chitosan were used as base biomaterials, and adipic acid dihydrazide was incorporated to induce self-healing behavior of the gel. Superparamagnetic iron oxide nanoparticles were also added to the gel for preparation of a magnetically-responding system. Various characteristics including physicochemical properties, biocompatibility, and printability of self-healing ferrogel were investigated. In addition, chondrogenic differentiation of ATDC5 cells cultured within hydrogel/ferrogel constructs was evaluated by applying the magnetic field. The 3D-printable self-healing ferrogel may be readily applicable to a wide range of biomedical fields.