Paper
25 August 2017 New developments in 3D liquid crystal elastomers scaffolds for tissue engineering: from physical template to responsive substrate
Marianne E. Prévôt, Leah E. Bergquist, Anshul Sharma, Taizo Mori, Yungxiang Gao, Tanmay Bera, Chenhui Zhu, Michelle T. Leslie, Richard Cukelj, LaShanda T. J. Korley, Ernest J. Freeman, Jennifer A. McDonough, Robert J. Clements, Elda Hegmann
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Abstract
We report here on cell growth and proliferation within a 3D architecture created using smectic liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs) leading to a responsive scaffold for tissue engineering. The investigated LCE scaffolds exhibit biocompatibility, controlled degradability, with mechanical properties and morphologies that can match development of the extracellular matrix. Moreover, the synthetic pathway and scaffold design offer a versatility of processing, allowing modifications of the surface such as adjusting the hydrophilic/hydrophobic balance and the mobility of the LC moieties to enhance the biomaterial performance. First, we succeeded in generating LCEs whose mechanical properties mimic muscle tissue. In films, our LCEs showed cell adhesion, proliferation, and alignment. We also achieved creating 3D LCE structures using either metallic template or microsphere scaffolds. Finally, we recorded a four times higher cell proliferation capability in comparison to conventional porous films and, most importantly, anisotropic cell growth that highlights the tremendous effect of liquid crystal moieties within LCEs on the cell environment.
© (2017) COPYRIGHT Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE). Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Marianne E. Prévôt, Leah E. Bergquist, Anshul Sharma, Taizo Mori, Yungxiang Gao, Tanmay Bera, Chenhui Zhu, Michelle T. Leslie, Richard Cukelj, LaShanda T. J. Korley, Ernest J. Freeman, Jennifer A. McDonough, Robert J. Clements, and Elda Hegmann "New developments in 3D liquid crystal elastomers scaffolds for tissue engineering: from physical template to responsive substrate", Proc. SPIE 10361, Liquid Crystals XXI, 103610T (25 August 2017); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2275338
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Cited by 2 scholarly publications.
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KEYWORDS
Liquid crystals

Surface properties

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