Pectin-based biomaterial ink for Green Tissue Engineering applications

Green and non-toxic biomaterials obtained from renewable sources and processable through 3D bioprinting technologies are emerging as novel candidate materials to produce sustainable scaffolds for tissue engineering applications. Here, pectins from citrus peels were crosslinked for the first time with (3-Glycidyloxypropyl)trimethoxysilane (GPTMS) through a simple and one-pot procedure. GPTMS content affected the properties of freeze-dried pectin scaffolds in terms of porosity, water uptake and compressive modulus. Moreover, GPTMS improved pectins printability and did not negatively affect pectins cytocompatibility. Three-dimensional woodpile and complex anatomical shaped scaffolds with interconnected micro- and macropores were therefore bioprinted without the use of any additional support material. These results show the great potential of using pectin crosslinked with GPTMS as biomaterial ink to fabricate patient specific scaffolds, which could be used to promote tissue regeneration in vivo.