Printable cellular scaffold using self-crosslinking agents

The current engineered skin substitutes for diabetic foot ulcer treatment lack effective host integration. The goal of this research is to create a wound care material that promotes integration with host tissue. We have been investigating a printable biodegradable scaffold composed of gelatin and oxidized alginate, both materials with very high biocompatibility and low toxicity. We investigated the printability of oxidized alginate and its use as an 'ink' for drop-on-demand crosslinking of gelatin. The oxidized alginate was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometry. Crosslinking rates were investigated as a function of crosslinker concentration. Crosslinking densities were measured by trinitrobenzene sulfonic acid assay. The mechanical properties of the crosslinked gels were measured in dried samples. The biocompatibility and ability of the printed scaffolds to support fibroblast attachment and proliferation were tested. Our results show that using 15% oxidized alginate and 10% gelatin allows us to obtain skin wound dressings with better properties. © 2012 Society for Imaging Science and Technology.