Flexible and Elastic Scaffolds for Cartilage Tissue Engineering Prepared by Stereolithography Using Poly(trimethylene carbonate)-Based Resins

The aim of this study is to investigate the applicability of flexible and elastic poly(trimethylene carbonate) (PTMC) structures prepared by stereolithography as scaffolds for cartilage tissue engineering. A three‐armed methacrylated PTMC macromer with a molecular weight of 3100 g mol−1 is used to build designed scaffolds with a pore diameter of 350 ± 12 μm and a porosity of 54.0 ± 2.2%. Upon seeding of bovine chondrocytes in the scaffolds, the cells adhere and spread on the PTMC surface. After culturing for 6 weeks, also cells with a round morphology are present, indicative of the differentiated chondrocyte phenotype. Sulphated glycosaminoglycans and fibrillar collagens are deposited by the cells. During culturing for 6 weeks, the compression moduli of the constructs increases 50% to approximately 100 kPa. Stereolithography is a rapid prototyping technique that can be used to build tissue engineering scaffolds, with full control of pore architecture, pore size, and scaffold porosity. In this study, flexible and elastic poly(trimethylene carbonate) scaffolds suitable for cartilage tissue engineering are prepared by means of stereolithography.