3D Cell Culture on Hierarchical Porous Soft Aerogel Structures Printed by DIW Process from Dual Network Gel Ink

Abstract

Advances in additive manufacturing technologies have enabled the fabrication of intricate bioscaffolds with tailored geometry, porosity, and material composition, offering new possibilities in biomedical engineering, drug screening, and cell scaffold applications. This study introduces a novel printable flexible soft ceramic material prepared by a combination of silica sol–gel processing and crosslinking of a dissolvable polyvinyl-trimesic acid polymeric network. The material's printability is showcased by creating 3D 90° grid scaffolds using an in-house extrusion-based printer, demonstrating a flexible response to compressive stress with minimal deformation over multiple cycles. Supercritical extraction and drying transform the printed structure into a highly porous, ultralow-density scaffold for cell culture. The MDCK cells cultured within the 3D biocompatible ceramic scaffold exhibit uniform growth and proliferation, maintaining viability for up to 35 days. When exposed to the environmental toxin, mercury, MDCK cells in a 2D culture show susceptibility at a low lethal concentration (0.075 mg·L⁻¹), while the 3D cell culture displays enhanced tolerance (4.0 mg·L⁻¹). It emphasizes the significance of the 3D microenvironment in mimicking physiological conditions more accurately, enabling a more precise assessment of environmental toxicants.