Poly(ethylene-glycol)-Dimethacrylate (PEGDMA) Composite for Stereolithographic Bioprinting

Recent progress in additive manufacturing has enabled the application of stereolithography (SLA) in bioprinting to produce 3D biomimetic structures. Bioinks for SLA often require synthetic polymers as supplements to ensure the structural integrity of the printed cell-laden constructs. High molecular weight (MW) poly(ethylene-glycol)-diacrylate (PEGDA) (MW ≥ 3400 Da) is commonly used to enhance the mechanical property of crosslinked hydrogels. However, the production of bioink with high MW PEGDA requires in-house polymer synthesis or the acquisition of costly reagents, which may not be readily available in all laboratory settings. As an alternative to high MW PEGDA, this research investigated the use of poly(ethylene-glycol)-dimethacrylate (PEGDMA) (MW = 1000 Da) as a supplement of a bioink to enhance the mechanical properties of the SLA-printed constructs. The successful demonstration showcases 1) the fabrication of 3D constructs with overhang and complex architecture, and 2) the cytocompatibility, with high cell viability of 71–87% over 6 days of culture, of the GelMA-PEGDMA bioink to enable cell-laden bioprinting. This study suggests PEGDMA as a viable supplement in the formulation of SLA bioink. The accessibility to PEGDMA will facilitate the advance in 3D bioprinting to fabricate complex bioinspired structures and tissue surrogates for biomedical applications.