Tailoring the collagen film structural properties via direct laser crosslinking of star-shaped polylactide for robust scaffold formation.

Application of restructured collagen-based biomaterials is generally restricted by their poor mechanical properties, which ideally must be close to those of a tissue being repaired. Here, we present an approach to the formation of a robust biomaterial using laser-induced curing of a photosensitive star-shaped polylactide. The created collagen-based structures demonstrated an increase in the Young's modulus by more than an order of magnitude with introduction of reinforcing patterns (from 0.15 ±â€¯0.02 MPa for the untreated collagen to 51.2 ±â€¯5.6 MPa for the reinforced collagen). It was shown that the geometrical configuration of the created reinforcing pattern affected the scaffold's mechanical properties only in the case of a relatively high laser radiation power density, when the effect of accumulated thermomechanical stresses in the photocured regions was significant. Photo-crosslinking of polylactide did not compromise the scaffold's cytotoxicity and provided fluorescent regions in the collagen matrix, that create a potential for noninvasive monitoring of such materials' biodegradation kinetics in vivo.

Surface micromorphology of cross-linked tetrafunctional polylactide scaffolds inducing vessel growth and bone formation.

In the presented study, we have developed a synthetic strategy allowing a gradual variation of a polylactide arms' length, which later influences the micromorphology of the scaffold surface, formed by a two-photon polymerization technique. It has been demonstrated that the highest number of cells is present on the scaffolds with the roughest surface made of the polylactide with longer arms (PLA760), and osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells is most pronounced on such scaffolds. According to the results of biological testing, the PLA760 scaffolds were implanted into a created cranial defect in a mouse for an in vivo assessment of the bone tissue formation. The in vivo experiments have shown that, by week 10, deposition of calcium phosphate particles occurs in the scaffold at the defect site, as well as, the formation of a new bone and ingrowth of blood vessels from the surrounding tissues. These results demonstrate that the cross-linked microstructured tetrafunctional polylactide scaffolds are promising microstructures for bone regeneration in tissue engineering.