3D printable electroconductive gelatin‑hyaluronic acid materials containing polypyrrole nanoparticles for electroactive tissue engineering

Electrically conductive bio-scaffolds are explored in the field of tissue engineering (TE) as a solution to address the clinical need of electroactive tissues, finding applications in nervous, cardiac, and spinal cord injury repair. In this work, we synthe[1]sise polypyrrole nanoparticles (PPy NP) via the mini-emulsion method with further combination with a gelatin/hyaluronic acid (HA) hydrogel to create electroconductive Gel:HA:PPy-NP TE scaffolds. Electroconductive Gel:HA:PPy-NP scaffolds possess excellent mechanical properties at 1.08±0.26 MPa, closely matching the reported mechanical performance of the spinal cord. Scaffolds were designed with controlled porosity of 526.2±74.6–403.9±57.4 µm, and conductivities of 4.3×10– 6±1.1 × 10–6 S.cm−1 were reached. Rheological studies show that prior to lyophilisation, the Gel:HA:PPy-NP hydrogels display a shear-thinning behaviour. These gels were subsequently 3D printed into predefined 2 layer lattice geometries and displayed excellent post-printing shape fidelity. In vitro studies show that the Gel:HA:PPy-NP scaffolds are cytocompatible with mesenchymal stem cells and neuronal stem cells and display encouraging cell attachment and proliferation profiles. Based on these results, the incorporation of PPy NPs into Gel:HA biomaterial scaffolds enhances the conductive capabili[1]ties of the material, while showcasing biocompatible behaviour with cell cultures. Hence, Gel:HA:PPy-NP scaffolds are a promising TE option for stimulating regeneration following nervous tissue injury.