26: Itaconate-based polyesters as potential inks for 3D printed biomaterials

Title:

Itaconate-based polyesters as potential inks for 3D printed biomaterials

Authors:

Magdalena Miętus¹, Agnieszka Gadomska-Gajadhur¹

¹Faculty of Chemistry, Warsaw University of Technology, Warsaw, Poland

Abstract text:

To date, polyacrylate, polylactide (PLA), and poly(ε-caprolactone)-based materials are most commonly used for 3D printing.[1,2] Those materials have significant advantages (biodegradability, biocompatibility for PLA and PCL, and good mechanical properties for acylate compounds). Nonetheless, they have some major disadvantages.[3] PLA and PCL are characterized by fragility and low cell adhesion (if we consider them for use in 3D bioprinting).[2] Furthermore, acrylate compounds are toxic and are usually obtained from non-renewable raw materials, which is against the trends of Green Chemistry. Thanks to the presence of multiple bonds in the structure of acrylate polymers, they can be subjected to UV light. It makes it possible to print a high-quality model of the desired shape successfully. 3D printing can also be used to obtain cellular scaffolds with applications in tissue engineering. For this, it is necessary to use non-toxic materials that have the potential to mimic the cellular matrix naturally found in the human body. In this research, aliphatic itaconic polyesters will be investigated. Itaconic compounds are structurally similar to acrylate ones.[4] A C=C bond in the structure of the itaconic compound allows UV-enhanced crosslinking. Itaconic compounds are fully biodegradable, biocompatible, and have anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties.[5] The synthesis of itaconate-based polyesters was performed during the research. Based on the study's results, the product with the best properties was selected for UV-crosslinking, and the cured products were characterized in detail. In particular, mechanical, thermal, degradation, and cytotoxicity tests were carried out.

Reference:

[1]        Miao J.T., Peng S., Ge M., Li Y., et al., Three-Dimensional Printing Fully Biobased Heat-Resistant Photoactive Acrylates from Aliphatic Biomass, ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering, 2020, 8, 9415–9424, DOI: 10.1021/acssuschemeng.0c02168.

[2]        Yu W., Li M., Lei W., Chen Y., FDM 3D Printing and Properties of PBAT/PLA Blends 2024, DOI: 10.3390/polym16081140.

[3]        Saito E., Kang H., Taboas J.M., Diggs A., et al., Experimental and computational characterization of designed and fabricated 50:50 PLGA porous scaffolds for human trabecular bone applications, Journal of Materials Science: Materials in Medicine, 2010, 21, 2371–2383, DOI: 10.1007/s10856-010-4091-8.

[4]        Robert T., Friebel S., Itaconic acid-a versatile building block for renewable polyesters with enhanced functionality, Green Chemistry, 2016, 18, 2922–2934, DOI: 10.1039/c6gc00605a.

[5]        Cordes T., Michelucci A., Hiller K., Itaconic Acid: The Surprising Role of an Industrial Compound as a Mammalian Antimicrobial Metabolite, Annual Review of Nutrition, 2015, 35, 451–473, DOI: 10.1146/annurev-nutr-071714-034243.