Page 497 - IJB-10-3

International

Journal of Bioprinting

RESEARCH ARTICLE
Stereolithography 3D printing of microgroove

master moulds for topography-induced nerve
guidance conduits

Hexin Yue , Xuzhao Liu ,Kejian Hou , Cian Vyas 1,2* , and Paulo Bartolo 1,2*
1
1
1
1 School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering, University of Manchester, Manchester,
United Kingdom
2 Singapore Centre for 3D Printing, School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang
Technological University, Singapore

Abstract

Patients who have peripheral nerve damage from trauma or disease may suffer
lifelong disability. Current interventions such as nerve allografts are inadequate due
to limited availability of tissue and donor-site morbidity. Commercial nerve guidance
conduits are used to bridge the damaged nerve gap and restore function. Typically,
however, they lack cell-instructive guidance cues to promote directed regeneration.
Tissue-engineered nerve guidance conduits that utilise micro- and nano-
topographical architectures have been demonstrated to direct cell behaviour and
contact guidance. This study uses projection micro-stereolithography-based three-
*Corresponding authors: dimensional (3D) printing to fabricate microgrooved (10–30 µm) master moulds to
Cian Vyas produce polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) moulds and solvent cast polycaprolactone
(cian.vyas@ntu.edu.sg)
and polylactic acid films. The polymer microgrooves were successfully fabricated and
Paulo Bartolo were able to be formed into tubular nerve guidance conduits. The surface morphology,
(paulojorge.dasilvabartolo@
manchester.ac.uk) roughness, wettability, and thermal properties of the films were characterised. The
microgroove topography improved proliferation and induced alignment of SH-
Citation: Yue H, Liu X, Hou K, SY5Y cells. This facile 3D printing approach is promising for the fabrication of nerve
Vyas C, Bartolo P. Stereolithography
3D printing of microgroove master guidance conduits with topographical guidance cues as it obviates the need for
moulds for topography-induced using photolithographic techniques. Thus, this approach provides an alternative that
nerve guidance conduits. is simpler, faster, cheaper, and offers greater design freedom.
Int J Bioprint. 2024;10(3):2725.
doi: 10.36922/ijb.2725
Received: January 12, 2024 Keywords: Bioprinting; Microgroove; Moulds; Nerve guidance conduit;
Accepted: February 23, 2024 Peripheral nerve repair; Stereolithography
Published Online: May 31, 2024
Copyright: © 2024 Author(s).
This is an Open Access article
distributed under the terms of the
Creative Commons Attribution 1. Introduction
License, permitting distribution,
and reproduction in any medium, The peripheral nervous system (PNS) connects the central nervous system to the entire
provided the original work is body, with its principal responsibilities encompassing the processing of incoming neural
properly cited. information, modulation of sensory perception, coordination of motor activities, and
Publisher’s Note: AccScience the preservation of homeostasis. Peripheral nerve injury (PNI) is a frequent occurrence,
Publishing remains neutral with typically arising from trauma, and results in a complicated recovery process related to
regard to jurisdictional claims in
published maps and institutional the specific gap size and the slow regeneration speed. Globally, there are over 5 million
1
affiliations. new cases of PNI annually. Spontaneous regeneration of nerves is feasible for small gaps

Volume 10 Issue 3 (2024) 489 doi: 10.36922/ijb.2725