Ferulic acid and human platelet lysate incorporated alginate dialdehyde‐gelatin 3D (bio)printable hydrogels with biological activity

Abstract

AbstractThis study investigates the creation of multifunctional scaffolds based on alginate dialdehyde (ADA) and gelatin (GEL) incorporating ferulic acid (FA), a phytotherapeutic agent with diverse pharmacological properties, and human platelet lysate (HPL). The multimaterial hydrogels were characterized in terms of degradation/swelling behavior showing that HPL decelerates the degradation process of ADA‐GEL hydrogels in absence of FA. A FA release study confirmed that the presence of HPL does not affect the FA release ability of ADA‐GEL hydrogel. A trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid (TNBS) assay confirmed no influence of HPL on the Schiff's base formation. The addition of HPL was shown to lead to a decrease in stiffness, mechanical stability, and viscosity of ADA‐GEL‐HPL inks. This effect was also observed for ADA‐GEL‐HPL inks when investigating their three‐dimensional (3D) printing ability. Cytocompatibility tests and a 3D bioprinting study confirmed the beneficial impact of the addition of HPL on MC3T3‐E1 cells. Moreover, an antibacterial effect provided by the addition of FA was confirmed while the incorporation of HPL led to higher VEGF‐A expression by MC3T3‐E1 cells. Overall, the addition of HPL and FA to ADA‐GEL hydrogel results in a promising ink, which has potential for future biofabrication applications.