3D Bioplotter Research Papers

The successful replication of the intricate architecture of human tissues remains a major challenge in the biomedical area. Three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting has emerged as a promising approach for the biofabrication of living tissue analogues, taking advantage of the use of adequate bioinks and printing methodologies. Here, a hydrogel bioink based on gelatin (Gel) and nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC), cross-linked with genipin, was developed for the 3D extrusion-based bioprinting of hepatocarcinoma cells (HepG2). This formulation combines the biological characteristics of Gel with the exceptional mechanical and rheological attributes of NFC. Gel/NFC ink formulations with different Gel/NFC mass compositions, viz., 90:10, 80:20, 70:30,…

Hydrogels are the most common type of bioinks, yet, finding adequate biomaterials to develop suitable bioinks for 3D bioprinting remains challenging. Herein, innovative hydrogel bioinks were developed by combining nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC) with a fucose-rich polysaccharide, FucoPol (FP), still unexplored for 3D bioprinting. NFC/FP bioinks with different mass proportions, namely 1:1, 2:1, 3:1 and 4:1, were prepared and denominated as NFC1FP, NFC2FP, NFC3FP and NFC4FP. A formulation without NFC was also prepared for comparison purposes (NFC0FP). The rheological properties of the bioinks were enhanced by the addition of NFC, as evidenced by the increase in shear viscosity from 1.39 ± 0.03 Pa s (NFC0FP)…

The development of bioink formulations with suitable properties is fundamental for the progress of 3D bioprinting. The potential of cellulose, the most abundant biopolymer, in this realm has often been underestimated, relegating it essentially to a reinforcement additive of bioinks. In this work, cell-laden bioink formulations, composed exclusively of cellulose, viz., “all-cellulose bioinks”, were developed by combining carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC) in different mass proportions (90/10, 80/20, and 70/30%). The incorporation of NFC increases the printability of the inks (from Pr = 0.7 to 0.9) while maintaining their shear-thinning behavior, and increasing contents of NFC also decrease…

Melanoma is one of the most aggressive types of skin cancer, and the need for advanced platforms to study this disease and to develop new treatments is rising. 3D bioprinted tumor models are emerging as advanced tools to tackle these needs, with the design of adequate bioinks being a fundamental step to address this challenging process. Thus, this work explores the synergy between two biobased nanofibers, nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC) and lysozyme amyloid nanofibrils (LNFs), to create pectin nanocomposite hydrogel bioinks for the 3D bioprinting of A375 melanoma cell-laden living constructs. The incorporation of LNFs (5, 10 or 15 wt%) on a…

In this study, alginate nanocomposite hydrogel bioinks reinforced with lysozyme nanofibers (LNFs) were developed. Alginate-LNF (A-LNF) suspensions with different LNF contents (1, 5 and 10 wt.%) were prepared and pre-crosslinked with 0.5% (w/v) CaCl2 to formulate A-LNF inks. These inks exhibit proper shear-thinning behavior and good recovery properties (~90%), with the pre-crosslinking step playing a crucial role. A-LNF fully crosslinked hydrogels (with 2% (w/v) CaCl2) that mimic 3D printing scaffolds were prepared, and it was observed that the addition of LNFs improved several properties of the hydrogels, such as the morphology, swelling and degradation profiles, and mechanical properties. All formulations…

The development of suitable bioinks is an important research topic in the field of three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting. Herein, novel hydrogel-based bioinks composed of nanofibrillated cellulose (NFC) and gellan gum (GG) in different NFC/GG mass proportions (90:10, 80:20, 70:30, and 60:40) were developed and characterized. The increase in the content of GG, as well as its combination with NFC, enhanced their rheological properties, increasing both storage (G’) and loss (G”) moduli and the G’ recovery capacity of the hydrogels (from 70.05 ± 3.06 % (90:10) to 82.63 ± 1.21 % (60:40)), as well as their mechanical properties, increasing the compressive stiffness…

3D bioprinting is a versatile technique that allows the fabrication of living tissue analogs through the layer-by-layer deposition of cell-laden biomaterials, viz. bioinks. In this work, composite alginate hydrogel-based bioinks reinforced with curcumin-loaded particles of cellulose esters (CEpCUR) and laden with human keratinocytes (HaCaT) are developed. The addition of the CEpCUR particles, with sizes of 740 ± 147 nm, improves the rheological properties of the inks, increasing their shear stress and viscosity, while preserving the recovery rate and the mechanical and viscoelastic properties of the resulting fully cross-linked hydrogels. Moreover, the presence of these particles reduces the degradation rate of…