Page 47 - IJB-9-2

International Journal of Bioprinting

RESEARCH ARTICLE
Development of polycaprolactone grafts with

improved physical properties and body stability
using a screw extrusion-type 3D bioprinter

Su Hee Kim , Se Jun Park , Bin Xu 2,3,4 , Jae Hyup Lee 2,3,5 , Sang Jin An , Misun Cha *
1
1†
1†
1
1 R&D Center, Medifab Co. Ltd, Seoul 08584, Republic of Korea
2 Department of Orthopedic Surgery, College of Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic
of Korea
3 Department of Orthopedic Surgery, SMG-SNU Boramae Medical Center, Seoul, Republic of Korea
4 Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Tianjin Hospital, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China
5 Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering, Medical Research Center, Seoul National
University, Seoul, Republic of Korea

Abstract

Three-dimensional (3D) bioprinter including screw extruder was developed, and the
polycaprolactone (PCL) grafts fabricated by screw-type and pneumatic pressure-type
bioprinters were comparatively evaluated. The density and tensile strength of the
single layers printed by the screw-type were 14.07% and 34.76% higher, respectively,
than those of the single layers produced by the pneumatic pressure-type. The
† These authors contributed equally adhesive force, tensile strength, and bending strength of the PCL grafts printed by
to this work.
the screw-type bioprinter were 2.72 times, 29.89%, and 67.76% higher, respectively,
*Corresponding author: than those of the PCL grafts prepared by the pneumatic pressure-type bioprinter. By
Misun Cha (cmsbest@imedifab.com) evaluating the consistency with the original image of the PCL grafts, we found that
Citation: Kim SH, Park SJ, Xu B, it had a value of about 98.35%. The layer width of the printing structure was 485.2 ±
et al., 2023, Development of 0.004919 µm, which was 99.5% to 101.8% compared to the set value (500 µm), indi-
polycaprolactone grafts with
improved physical properties cating high accuracy and uniformity. The printed graft had no cytotoxicity, and there
and body stability using a screw were no impurities in the extract test. In the in vivo studies, the tensile strength of
extrusion-type 3D bioprinter. Int J the sample 12 months after implantation was reduced by 50.37% and 85.43% com-
Bioprint, 9(2): 652.
https://doi.org/10.18063/ijb.v9i2.652 pared to the initial point of the sample printed by the screw-type and the pneumatic
pressure-type, respectively. Through observing the fractures of the samples at 9- and
Received: June 03, 2022
Accepted: September 01, 2022 12-month samples, we found that the PCL grafts prepared by the screw-type had
Published Online: December 20, better in vivo stability. Therefore, the printing system developed in this study can be
2022 used as a treatment for regenerative medicine.
Copyright: © 2022 Author(s).
This is an Open Access article
distributed under the terms of the Keywords: Three-dimensional printing; Polycaprolactone; Screw extrusion bioprinter;
Creative Commons Attribution Tissue engineering
License, permitting distribution
and reproduction in any medium,
provided the original work is
properly cited.
1. Introduction
Publisher’s Note: Whioce
Publishing remains neutral with Three-dimensional (3D) printing technology is being researched in the field of
regard to jurisdictional claims in [1]
published maps and institutional biomedicine and regenerative medicine . In particular, it is being utilized for the
affiliations. realization of implantable medical devices, patient-specific grafts and porous structure

Volume 9 Issue 2 (2023) 39 https://doi.org/10.18063/ijb.v9i2.652