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International Journal of Bioprinting Development and characterization of AAMP for hydrogel bioink preparation

A B

C

Figure 5. Cell viability and proliferation. (A) 4-week viability study for hMSC-laden hydrogels mixed by AAMP for 10, 30, and 50 cycles. (B,C) 4-week
proliferation study for hMSC- and HUVEC-laden hydrogels by AAMP for 50 cycles.

negative effect on cell viability. Note that the materials used, 4. Conclusion
including both alginate and xanthan gum, are both known
to be non-cytotoxic [35-38] , and they were chosen as a general The AAMP provides a mechanism of high pumping
representation of cytocompatible hydrogel components. frequency and speed that is portable, easily controllable and
As the mixing procedure is proven to be cell-friendly, low-cost compared to those on the market today. Analyses
the protocol should work for almost all other commonly outlined in this paper have shown that the AAMP is an
seen hydrogel bioink materials, such as gelatin [39-42] and effective means to achieve homogeneity for hydrogels with
2+
poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA) [43,44] . Therefore, and without an alginate-Ca reaction. By tuning speed
the AAMP can be a widely applicable platform for and cycle parameters, it was found that by programming
preparing cell-laden hydrogel bioink. There is currently the AAMP to complete 50 mixing cycles at 3000 rpm,
little to no literature discussing the outcomes of various visual homogeneity was achieved for the hydrogels utilized
methodologies for mixing, with most of the advancement in our tests, which was further confirmed by colorimetric
lying in the commercial realm. This is especially concerning analysis.
given the importance of cell viability and proliferation Through the results confirmed by both experiment
post-mixing, both which are rarely studied or discussed. and simulation, the AAMP is shown to be a cost-effective
Beyond introducing a new mixing device, this study holds and efficient adaptation of the traditional manual active
the secondary purpose of addressing a foundational gap in mixer that eliminates the need for human labor and the
research surrounding hydrogel mixing. discomfort and error associated with it. Compared with

Volume 9 Issue 4 (2023) 405 https://doi.org/10.18063/ijb.705