Uniting 4D Printing and Melt Electrowriting for the Enhancement of Regenerative Small Diameter Vascular Grafts
Research output: Contribution to journal › Research article › Contributed › peer-review
Contributors
Abstract
The development of mechanically robust, cell-instructive, and seweable small-diameter (≤ Ø 6 mm) tubular scaffolds remain a major challenge in vascular tissue engineering. Here, a hybrid biofabrication strategy is presented that combines 4D printing of alginate-methylcellulose (AlgMC) hydrogels with melt electrowritten (MEW) poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) reinforcement to produce tubular constructs with programmable shape-morphing capacity. The MEW fiber meshes significantly improve mechanical integrity, enabling suturing and perfusion, while preserving the anisotropic swelling behavior required for morphogenesis. Scaffold functionalization using human blood-derived protein coatings — such as fresh frozen plasma, platelet lysate, and fibrinogen — markedly enhances cellular adhesion and fibroblast proliferation without compromising structural transformation. Biological evaluation using mono and co-cultures of fibroblasts, endothelial cells (HUVEC), and vascular smooth muscle cells (vSMC) reveals the formation of organized bi-layers and phenotype-specific cell morphologies on AlgMC/PCL composites. Notably, a confluent endothelial layer promotes contractile marker expression in vSMC, while vSMC support endothelial coverage in the absence of a growth-arrested fibroblast feeder layer, indicating reciprocal stabilization. While further optimization is needed to meet the demands of small-diameter vascular grafts fully, the presented system offers a versatile and promising platform for engineering soft tissue constructs that benefit from topographical guidance, spatially controlled adhesion, and adaptive geometry.
Details
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | e02380 |
| Journal | Advanced healthcare materials |
| Volume | 14 |
| Issue number | 30 |
| Publication status | Published - 25 Nov 2025 |
| Peer-reviewed | Yes |
External IDs
| PubMed | 40772385 |
|---|---|
| ORCID | /0000-0001-9075-5121/work/204618608 |
Keywords
ASJC Scopus subject areas
Keywords
- 4D printing, additive manufacturing, alginate, extrusion 3D printing, melt electrowriting, methylcellulose, polycaprolactone