3D Bioplotter Research Papers

Organ-on-a-chip stands as a pivotal platform for skeletal muscle research while constructing 3D skeletal muscle tissues that possess both macroscopic and microscopic structures remains a considerable challenge. This study draws inspiration from LEGO-like assembly, employing a modular approach to construct muscle tissue that integrates biomimetic macroscopic and microscopic structures. Modular LEGO-like hybrid nanofibrous scaffold bricks were fabricated by the combination of 3D printing and electrospinning techniques. Skeletal muscle cells cultured on these modular scaffold bricks exhibited a highly orientated nanofibrous structure. A variety of construction of skeletal muscle tissues further enabled development by various assembling processes. Moreover, skeletal muscle-on-a-chip (SMoC)…

Rapid bone regeneration in implants is important for successful transplantation. In this regard, we report the development of calcium silicate/zinc silicate (CS/ZS) dual-compound-incorporated calcium phosphate cement (CPC) scaffolds with a three-dimensional poly (lactic-co-glycolic acid) network that synergistically promote bone regeneration. In vitro results demonstrated that the incorporation of CS/ZS dual compounds into the CPC significantly promoted the osteogenic differentiation of stem cells compared to the addition of CS or ZS alone. Moreover, the bone-regeneration efficacy of the composite scaffolds was validated by filling in femur condyle defects in rabbits, which showed that the scaffolds with CS and ZS possessed a…

In this study, inspired by the components of cartilage matrix, a photo-cross-linked extracellular matrix (ECM) bioink composed of modified proteins and polysaccharides was presented, including gelatin methacrylate, hyaluronic acid methacrylate, and chondroitin sulfate methacrylate. The systematic experiments were performed, including morphology, swelling, degradation, mechanical and rheological tests, printability analysis, biocompatibility and chondrogenic differentiation characterization, and RNA sequencing (RNA-seq). The results indicated that the photo-cross-linked ECM hydrogels possessed suitable degradation rate and excellent mechanical properties, and the three-dimensional (3D) bioprinted ECM scaffolds obtained favorable shape fidelity and improved the basic properties, biological properties, and chondrogenesis of synovium-derived MSCs (SMSCs). The strong…

Injury of corpus cavernosa results in erectile dysfunction, but its treatment has been very difficult. Here we construct heparin-coated 3D-printed hydrogel scaffolds seeded with hypoxia inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α)-mutated muscle-derived stem cells (MDSCs) to develop bioengineered vascularized corpora. HIF-1α-mutated MDSCs significantly secrete various angiogenic factors in MDSCs regardless of hypoxia or normoxia. The biodegradable scaffolds, along with MDSCs, are implanted into corpus cavernosa defects in a rabbit model to show good histocompatibility with no immunological rejection, support vascularized tissue ingrowth, and promote neovascularisation to repair the defects. Evaluation of morphology, intracavernosal pressure, elasticity and shrinkage of repaired cavernous tissue prove that…

Natural polymer hydrogels are one of the best biomaterials for soft tissue repair because of their excellent biocompatibility, biodegradability and low immune rejection. However, they lack mechanical strength matching that of natural tissue and desired functionality (e.g., self-healing and 3D-printability). To solve these problems, we developed a host–guest supramolecule (HGSM) with three arms covalently crosslinked with a natural polymer to construct a novel hydrogel with non-covalent bonds integrated into a covalently crosslinked network. This unique structure enabled the hydrogel to exhibit improved mechanical properties and show both self-healing and 3D printing capabilities. The three-armed HGSM was first prepared via efficient…

The combination of carbon nanomaterial with three-dimensional (3D) porous polymer substrates has been demonstrated to be an effective approach to manufacture high-performance stretchable conductive materials (SCMs). However, it remains a challenge to fabricate 3D-structured SCMs with outstanding electrical conductivity capability under large strain in a facile way. In this work, the 3D printing technique was employed to prepare 3D porous poly(dimethylsiloxane) (O-PDMS) which was then integrated with carbon nanotubes and graphene conductive network and resulted in highly stretchable conductors (OPCG). Two types of OPCG were prepared, and it has been demonstrated that the OPCG with split-level structure exhibited both higher…