丝素蛋白3D打印在生物医学领域中的应用

增材制造,也称为三维(3D)打印,正推动制造、工程、医学等领域的全面创新升级。3D打印技术由于能够个性化定制生物的复杂3D微结构,构建仿生的功能化活组织或人工器官,近十年来在生物医学领域中取得了长足的发展。丝素蛋白(SF)是一种来源丰富、生物可降解、力学性能优良、细胞相容性极佳的天然有机高分子,为3D打印墨水的设计提供了一种有前景的选择。然而,作为结构蛋白,单一组分的SF具有的生理功能有限,且其经过打印后的稳定性较差,限制了SF在3D打印以及生物医药领域中的进一步发展。为此,研究人员通过化学改性技术和先进3D打印技术相结合,使得改性后的SF能够更适用于3D打印,并发展成为一种具有应用价值的生物材料。本文综述了SF的结构特征、SF的化学修饰策略、打印墨水的制备策略以及3D打印SF材料在生物医学领域的最新应用进展,并展望了3D打印SF生物材料的未来发展趋势,为其在更广阔领域的应用提供一定的借鉴。     

强韧支架用丝素蛋白基生物墨水及其3D打印支架模拟软件的开发

At present, the existing scaffold materials cannot well meet the high strength and toughness requirements for the repairing of typical stressed tissues. And the commercial software for 3D printing scaffold modeling and mechanical performance simulation is complex to operate and has poor interoperability with 3D printers. In order to solve these problems, a silk fibroin (SF) based bio-ink was prepared for tough scaffold, and a software was developed for compression performance simulation of 3D printing scaffold based on SF and finite element analysis strategy. The printability of the bio-ink and the mechanical properties of the corresponding hydrogels and 3D printing scaffolds were characterized. The cell compatibility of the related scaffolds was evaluated by using fibroblasts and living/dead staining kit. Based on the SF based bio-ink, scaffolds with different heights and porosities were designed and printed. By using the developed software and the universal testing machine, the compression performance of related scaffolds was simulated and tested separately, and further compared with each other. Results show that the SF based bio-ink has good printability. And the 3D printing scaffold prepared by this ink presents high strength and toughness (modulus of elasticity: (1.86 ± 0.28)MPa, modulus of compression: (1.95 ± 0.11)MPa, elongation at break: (114.03 ± 14.40)%, compression strain ≥ 70%). In addition, the scaffold has good cell compatibility (L929 cell viability≥92.4%), which is expected to be used for the repair and regeneration of stressed tissues. The software is easy to operate, and can be used not only for the modeling of 3D printing scaffolds, but also for accurately predicting their compressive mechanical properties. In addition, the model data can also be directly imported into the 3D printer to guide the efficient preparation of the corresponding 3D printing scaffolds. This research is expected to provide important guidance for the rapid design and fabrication of tissue specific 3D printing scaffolds with bionic structure and mechanical properties. © Eco-Vector, 2023. All rights reserved.     

Engineering Aqueous Fiber Assembly into Silk‐Elastin‐Like Protein Polymers

Self‐assembled peptide/protein nanofibers are valuable 1D building blocks for creating complex structures with designed properties and functions. It is reported that the self‐assembly of silk‐elastin‐like protein polymers into nanofibers or globular aggregates in aqueous solutions can be modulated by tuning the temperature of the protein solutions, the size of the silk blocks, and the charge of the elastin blocks. A core‐sheath model is proposed for nanofiber formation, with the silk blocks in the cores and the hydrated elastin blocks in the sheaths. The folding of the silk blocks into stable cores—affected by the size of the silk blocks and the charge of the elastin blocks—plays a critical role in the assembly of silk‐elastin nanofibers. Furthermore, enhanced hydrophobic interactions between the elastin blocks at elevated temperatures greatly influence the nanoscale features of silk‐elastin nanofibers.

     

Rational Construction of 2D and 3D Borromean Arrayed Organic Crystals by Hydrogen‐Bond‐Directed Self‐Assembly

Borromean organic networks: The rigid and trigonal pyramidal molecule, 1,3,5‐tris(4‐carboxyphenyl)adamantane (TCA), self‐assembles into a 2D Borromean linked network by hydrogen bonds. Different linkers (methanol, phenazine, 4,4′‐bipyridine, and 4,4′‐azopyridine) result in more complex Borromean networks or a 3D polycatenation network.

     

Corrosion‐Mediated Self‐Assembly (CMSA): Direct Writing Towards Sculpturing of 3D Tunable Functional Nanostructures

Inexpensive and readily available metal foils have been extracted and sculptured into nanocomposites without the expense of applied energy. The unwanted corrosion phenomenon has been contrarily utilized to realize desirable 3D nanostructures through a corrosion‐mediated self‐assembly (CMSA) method, which is unattainable by conventional 2D patterning routes. By virtue of electrochemical dissolution/re‐deposition initiated by brass corrosion, ionic derivatives (Zn²⁺ and Cu²⁺) are continuously supplied and seized by etchant ions (PO₄^3?) to self‐assemble into well‐defined nanocomposites. Beyond 3D geometry patterning, CMSA enables arbitrarily tailoring of structures and chemical compositions with in situ multiphase amalgamation of hybrid materials, which improves homogeneity and thus mitigates phase separation issues. Importantly, the CMSA technique is demonstrated on transition metals for functional photocatalytic applications.     

3D Printing of Monolithic Proteinaceous Cantilevers Using Regenerated Silk Fibroin

Silk fibroin, regenerated from Bombyx mori, has shown considerable promise as a printable, aqueous-based ink using a bioinspired salt-bath system in our previous work. Here, we further developed and characterized silk fibroin inks that exhibit concentration-dependent fluorescence spectra at the molecular level. These insights supported extrusion-based 3D printing using concentrated silk fibroin solutions as printing inks. 3D monolithic proteinaceous structures with high aspect ratios were successfully printed using these approaches, including cantilevers only supported at one end. This work provides further insight and broadens the utility of 3D printing with silk fibroin inks for the microfabrication of proteinaceous structures.     

Two‐Dimensional Assembly Based on Flow Supramolecular Chemistry: Kinetic Control of Molecular Interactions Under Solvent Diffusion

Self‐assembly of porphyrin molecules can be controlled kinetically to form structures with lengths extending from the nano‐ to the micrometer scale, through a programmed solvent‐diffusion process in designed microflow spaces. Temporal solvent structures generated in the microflow were successfully transcribed into molecular architectures.     

Amphiphilic Janus Gold Nanoparticles Prepared by Interface‐Directed Self‐Assembly: Synthesis and Self‐Assembly

Materials with Janus structures are attractive for wide applications in materials science. Although extensive efforts in the synthesis of Janus particles have been reported, the synthesis of sub‐10 nm Janus nanoparticles is still challenging. Herein, the synthesis of Janus gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) based on interface‐directed self‐assembly is reported. Polystyrene (PS) colloidal particles with AuNPs on the surface were prepared by interface‐directed self‐assembly, and the colloidal particles were used as templates for the synthesis of Janus AuNPs. To prepare colloidal particles, thiol‐terminated polystyrene (PS‐SH) was dissolved in toluene and citrate‐stabilized AuNPs were dispersed in aqueous solution. Upon mixing the two solutions, PS‐SH chains were grafted to the surface of AuNPs and amphiphilic AuNPs were formed at the liquid–liquid interface. PS colloidal particles decorated with AuNPs on the surfaces were prepared by adding the emulsion to excess methanol. On the surface, AuNPs were partially embedded in the colloidal particles. The outer regions of the AuNPs were exposed to the solution and were functionalized through the grafting of atom‐transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) initiator. Poly[2‐(dimethamino)ethyl methacrylate] (PDMAEMA) on AuNPs were prepared by surface‐initiated ATRP. After centrifugation and dissolving the colloidal particles in tetrahydrofuran (THF), Janus AuNPs with PS and PDMAEMA on two hemispheres were obtained. In acidic pH, Janus AuNPs are amphiphilic and are able to emulsify oil droplets in water; in basic pH, the Janus AuNPs are hydrophobic. In mixtures of THF/methanol at a volume ratio of 1:5, the Janus AuNPs self‐assemble into bilayer structures with collapsed PS in the interiors and solvated PDMAEMA at the exteriors of the structures.     

Comparative Study of Silk Fibroin-Based Hydrogels and Their Potential as Material for 3-Dimensional (3D) Printing

Three-dimensional (3D) printing is regarded as a critical technology in material engineering for biomedical applications. From a previous report, silk fibroin (SF) has been used as a biomaterial for tissue engineering due to its biocompatibility, biodegradability, non-toxicity and robust mechanical properties which provide a potential as material for 3D-printing. In this study, SF-based hydrogels with different formulations and SF concentrations (1–3%wt) were prepared by natural gelation (SF/self-gelled), sodium tetradecyl sulfate-induced (SF/STS) and dimyristoyl glycerophosphorylglycerol-induced (SF/DMPG). From the results, 2%wt SF-based (2SF) hydrogels showed suitable properties for extrusion, such as storage modulus, shear-thinning behavior and degree of structure recovery. The 4-layer box structure of all 2SF-based hydrogel formulations could be printed without structural collapse. In addition, the mechanical stability of printed structures after three-step post-treatment was investigated. The printed structure of 2SF/STS and 2SF/DMPG hydrogels exhibited high stability with high degree of structure recovery as 70.4% and 53.7%, respectively, compared to 2SF/self-gelled construct as 38.9%. The 2SF/STS and 2SF/DMPG hydrogels showed a great potential to use as material for 3D-printing due to its rheological properties, printability and structure stability.     

Controlling Aqueous Self‐Assembly Mechanisms by Hydrophobic Interactions

We report an innovative template‐assisted synthetic protocol for the selective functionalization of terminal triple bonds in oligophenyleneethynylenes (OPE) by pre‐organization in aqueous solution. By this approach, three new OPE‐based bolaamphiphiles substituted with hydrophilic poly(2‐ethyl‐2‐oxazoline) (PEtOx) chains of different length have been synthesized. The chain length was observed to strongly influence the aqueous supramolecular polymerization: bolaamphiphiles with longer hydrophilic chains aggregate into spherical nanoparticles in a stepwise fashion, whereas 2D anisotropic platelets are formed cooperatively if shorter PEtOx chains are used. Our results demonstrate that hydrophobic interactions can be strong enough to trigger cooperative effects in aqueous self‐assembly processes.     

Site‐Directed,On‐Surface Assembly of DNA Nanostructures

Two‐dimensional DNA lattices have been assembled from DNA double‐crossover (DX) motifs on DNA‐encoded surfaces in a site‐specific manner. The lattices contained two types of single‐stranded protruding arms pointing into opposite directions of the plane. One type of these protruding arms served to anchor the DNA lattice on the solid support through specific hybridization with surface‐bound, complementary capture oligomers. The other type of arms allowed for further attachment of DNA‐tethered probe molecules on the opposite side of the lattices exposed to the solution. Site‐specific lattice assembly and attachment of fluorophore‐labeled oligonucleotides and DNA–protein conjugates was demonstrated using DNA microarrays on flat, transparent mica substrates. Owing to their programmable orientation and addressability over a broad dynamic range from the nanometer to the millimeter length scale, such supramolecular architecture might be used for presenting biomolecules on surfaces, for instance, in biosensor applications.     

Solvent‐Dependent Self‐Assembly Behaviour and Speciation Control of Pd6L8 Metallo‐supramolecular Cages

The C₃‐symmetric chiral propylated host‐type ligands (±)‐tris(isonicotinoyl)‐tris(propyl)‐cyclotricatechylene ( L1 ) and (±)‐tris(4‐pyridyl‐4‐benzoxy)‐tris(propyl)‐cyclotricatechylene ( L2 ) self‐assemble with Pd^II into [Pd₆L₈]¹²⁺ metallo‐cages that resemble a stella octangula. The self‐assembly of the [Pd₆( L1 )₈]¹²⁺ cage is solvent‐dependent; broad NMR resonances and a disordered crystal structure indicate no chiral self‐sorting of the ligand enantiomers in DMSO solution, but sharp NMR resonances occur in MeCN or MeNO₂. The [Pd₆( L1 )₈]¹²⁺ cage is observed to be less favourable in the presence of additional ligand, than is its counterpart, where L=(±)‐tris(isonicotinoyl)cyclotriguaiacylene ( L1 a ). The stoichiometry of reactant mixtures and chemical triggers can be used to control formation of mixtures of homoleptic or heteroleptic [Pd₆L₈]¹²⁺ metallo‐cages where L= L1 and L1 a .