Cucurbit[7]uril-Carbazole Two-Photon Photoinitiators for the Fabrication of Biocompatible Three-Dimensional Hydrogel Scaffolds by Laser Direct Writing in Aqueous Solutions.
We have introduced a novel water-soluble two-photon photoinitiator based on the host-guest interaction between 3,6-bis[2-(1-methyl-pyridinium)vinyl]-9-pentyl-carbazole diiodide (BMVPC) and cucurbit[7]uril (CB7) because most of the commercial photoinitiators have poor two-photon initiating efficiency in aqueous solutions. The binding ratio of BMVPC and CB7 was determined as 1:1 by isothermal titration calorimetry and quantum chemical calculation. The formation of the host-guest complex increases the two-photon absorption cross-section about five times, and improves the water solubility required as the photoinitiator for hydrogel fabrication. The BMVPC-CB7 inclusion complex was used as the one-component photoinitiator, and the polyethylene glycol diacrylate with promising biocompatibility was used as the hydrogel monomer to form the aqueous-phase photoresist system applied to two-photon polymerization microfabrication. A relatively low laser threshold of 4.5 mW, a high fabricating resolution of 180 nm, and the true three-dimensional (3D) fabricating capability in the aqueous solution have been obtained by using the as-prepared photoresist system. Finally, 3D engineering hydrogel scaffold microstructures with low toxicity and good biocompatibility have been fabricated and cocultured with living HeLa cells, which demonstrates the potential for further application in tissue engineering.
['Zheng|Yong-Chao|YC|', 'Zhao|Yuan-Yuan|YY|', 'Zheng|Mei-Ling|ML|http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9459-799X', 'Chen|Shi-Lu|SL|http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7187-9062', 'Liu|Jie|J|', 'Jin|Feng|F|', 'Dong|Xian-Zi|XZ|', 'Zhao|Zhen-Sheng|ZS|', 'Duan|Xuan-Ming|XM|']
D001672:Biocompatible Materials D001952:Bridged-Ring Compounds D002227:Carbazoles D006367:HeLa Cells D006801:Humans D020100:Hydrogels D007093:Imidazoles D007834:Lasers D055616:Microtechnology D011092:Polyethylene Glycols D023822:Tissue Engineering D054457:Tissue Scaffolds
two-photon photoinitiator laser direct writing cucurbit[7]uril two-photon polymerization 3D hydrogel scaffold carbazole derivatives