3D printed skin dressings manufactured with spongin-like collagen from marine sponges: physicochemical properties and in vitro biological analysis

Innovative skin dressings are needed for an effective skin wound treatment. Here in, it was used spongin-like collagen (SC) from marine sponge Chondrilla caribensis as a promising biomaterial, sodium alginate as matrix and, 3D printing technique to manufacture skin dressings in three concentrations (C1, C2, C3). The physicochemical, morphological and biological (in vitro) results were investigated. The results demonstrated that C2 had a higher mass loss, while C3 had a higher pH in experimental periods. Also, a higher porosity was observed for C1 and C2 skin dressings, with a higher swelling ratio for C2. For FTIR it was found peaks of Amide A, -CH2, -COOH and C-O-C, characteristics of collagen. Moreover, the macroscopic image demonstrated a skin dressing with rough surface and grayish color that is naturally observed in Chondrilla caribensis. For SEM analysis the presence of pores could be observed for all skin dressings, with fibers disposed in layers. In the in vitro analyses, the viability of HFF-1 and L929 cell lines were above 70% compared to control group, while for proliferation could be observed a decreased, that could be explained by the excess of stimulus of materials on cells. Furthermore, in cell adhesion analysis, could be observed that both cell lines adhered to all skin dressings in the experimental periods. The results demonstrated that 3D printed skin dressings at different concentrations were able to stimulated cells and were not cytotoxic. Moreover, the findings highlights the potential of SC associated to 3D printing technique as a suitable skin dressing for tissue engineering applications.