Open Access

Steffen Winkler, Xenia Kraus, Jasmin Huber, Janina Bahnemann

• With advancements in resolution, 3D printing is emerging as a transformative technology for the rapid fabrica-tion of cell culture systems, including organ-on-chip platforms. For successful integration into cell culture en-vironments, 3D printing materials must not only exhibit general biocompatibility but also support direct cell adhesion for on-chip cultivation. In this study, we investigated the adhesion of human umbilical vein endothe-lial cells (HUVECs) to two 3D printing materials, AR-M2 and M2S-HT90, under varying sterilization condi-tions involving heat steam sterilization and ethanol disinfection. Our findings reveal that specific combinations of these sterilization techniques significantly enhance cell adhesion, achieving levels comparable to standard cell culture plates. However, alterations in the 3D printing mode resulted in a complete loss of cell adhesion, underscoring the critical impact of printing parameters on the material surface properties.