Biodegradable Scaffolds for Urethra Tissue Engineering Based on 3D Printing

Tissue engineering scaffolds are used to repair urethra universally, whereas few of those methods could fit the specific shape of the patient’s lesion. Here a selection of biodegradable polymers were made, and then an economic, biodegradable, modified material PLGA/PCL/TEC 70:30:6 with good biocompatibility and mechanical properties was prepared. A method for customized tissue engineering scaffolds based on 3D printing technology was established. Based on medical image data, three-dimensional template models were built up with a certain process for 3D printing. Customized scaffolds can be prepared by coating the printed template with modified material and removing the inner template. L929 was selected as the cell model to observe cytotoxicity and cell adhesion on materials’ films. The prepared scaffolds were assessed by scanning electron microscopy and degradation in vitro to verify the feasibility as urethra scaffolds for tissue engineering.