DLP 3D printable carboxymethylcellulose hydrogels

Recent progresses in Tissue Engineering are directed towards the development of technologies able to provide patient specific scaffolds. Additive manufacturing (AM) techniques combining with suitable materials are able to create a physiological milieu for cell growth. However, the development of bio-based biocompatible and sustainable photocurable materials for 3D printing is a stringent request to employ these techniques in biomedical applications. In this work, aqueous formulations based on methacrylate carboxymethylcellulose were produced and easily 3D-printed through a Digital Light Processing (DLP) apparatus with the aim to produce 3D shaped hydrogels with excellent swelling ability and mechanical properties. Envisaging the application of the hydrogels in the biomedical field, cytotoxicity is also evaluated, demonstrating the promising use in this filed.