Development of 3D printed sodium alginate/agar-agar/cloves scaffolds for potential wound healing applications

Burn wounds are major health concern that cause cellular death of skin and reduce chances of tissue regeneration. 3D printing is a promising technology for treating burn wounds due to its accurate porosity, cellular attraction, and reduced material wastage. Herein, we proposed a novel combination of ink composed of sodium alginate (Na-ALG), agar-agar (AA), and cloves extract for 3D printing for treating skin burns. Fabricated scaffolds showed appropriate layer fidelity and inter-crosslinked porous structure. Crosslinked scaffolds demonstrated favorable swelling ability, biodegradability and release of eugenol required for potential skin regeneration. Scaffolds showed appropriate radical scavenging ability of ∼57 % and antibacterial efficacy against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus. Scaffold exhibited cell viability of 104 % on day 7 against fibroblasts. Hence, sodium alginate/agar-agar/cloves extract is a promising candidate for skin tissue engineering.