Additive manufacturing is increasingly being used to replace standard extrusion methods in engineering polymeric biomedical scaffolds. The principal advantage of this technology is the ability to print directly from a biomedical scan to produce components which are designed for an individual. Hence devices, whose function and utility had previously been demonstrated, can now be potentially manufactured in a simpler and more efficient manner. The question arises whether devices which may be macroscopically similar are in fact identical when interacting with cells. The surface properties of materials determine the nature of the interaction with tissue. Hence, even though the bulk properties may be similar, the surface properties, are far more sensitive to the manufacturing process. Since cells interact with surfaces on multiple length scales, this is a critical question when considering the function of biomedical devices.<br/>For this research we used MakerBot printers with PLA filaments. The scaffolds were sterilized with ETO and dental pulp stem cells were incubated on the scaffolds in alpha-MEM , 10% FBS, and 5% CO2, for up to 28 days.<br/>Examination of the PLA scaffolds revealed significant differences in roughness between molded and printed surfaces. Molded surfaces were smooth, while printed surfaces had heterogeneous roughness. on multiple length scales. SEM/EDX examination of the sample surfaces after 28 day incubation in the absence of any induction factors revealed much larger quantities of biomineralized deposits on the printed than the molded surfaces, which correlated to up regulation of ALP and OCN on these surfaces. Hence 3D printing induced differentiation in the absence of any soluble inducing agents.

Contrasting the interactions of dental pulp stem cells with 3-D printed vs molded polymer constructs

251st National Meeting (2016)

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