Scaffolds grafting combined with local delivery of antibiotics at the injury site may promote bone regeneration along with prevention of infections. In this work, a processing strategy combining the 3D-printing of polysaccharide-based inks with supercritical (sc)CO₂ technology was employed to manufacture drug-loaded, nanostructured, and personalized-to-patient aerogels for the first time. Methylcellulose (MC) was employed as graft matrix endowed with nanohydroxyapatite (nHA) to confer bioactivity as required in bone tissue engineering (BTE). MC-nHA aerogels were obtained through the 3D-printing of hydrogel-based scaffolds followed by scCO₂ drying. Aerogels were loaded with vancomycin (VAN), an antibiotic employed in the management of bone infections. Textural properties and printing fidelity of scaffolds were studied as well as VAN release, long-term bioactivity, and pre-osteoblasts mineralization. In vitro cell studies and in vivo Artemia salina tests were carried out to evaluate the potential toxicity of the antibiotic-loaded aerogels. Aerogels efficacy in inhibiting bacterial growth was assessed by antimicrobial tests with Staphylococcus aureus. Textural stability of the aerogels after 7 months of storage was also evaluated. Obtained results showed that the scaffolds promoted the intended two-in-one effect (bone repair and infection management simultaneously) in a personalized way, regulating formulation design, drug dose, and porosity.

Biopolymer-based aerogels can be obtained by supercritical drying of wet gels and endowed with outstanding properties for biomedical applications. Namely, polysaccharide-based aerogels in the form of microparticles are of special interest for wound treatment and can also be loaded with bioactive agents to improve the healing process. However, the production of the precursor gel may be limited by the viscosity of the polysaccharide initial solution. The jet cutting technique is regarded as a suitable processing technique to overcome this problem. In this work, the technological combination of jet cutting and supercritical drying of gels was assessed to produce chitosan aerogel microparticles loaded with vancomycin HCl (antimicrobial agent) for wound healing purposes. The resulting aerogel formulation was evaluated in terms of morphology, textural properties, drug loading, and release profile. Aerogels were also tested for wound application in terms of exudate sorption capacity, antimicrobial activity, hemocompatibility, and cytocompatibility. Overall, the microparticles had excellent textural properties, absorbed high amounts of exudate, and controlled the release of vancomycin HCl, providing sustained antimicrobial activity.