3D Bioplotter Research Papers

Tissue-engineered articular cartilage constructs are currently not able to equal native tissues in terms of mechanical and biological properties. A major cause lies in the deficiency in engineering the biomechanical microenvironment (BMME) of articular chondrocytes. In this work, to engineer the BMME of articular chondrocytes, heterogeneous hydrogel structures of gelatin methacrylated (GelMA) containing differential-stiffness domains were first fabricated, and then periodic dynamic mechanical stimulations were applied to the hydrogel structures. The chondrocyte phenotype of ATDC5 cells was enhanced as the spatial differentiation in stiffness was increased in the hydrogel structures and was further strengthened by dynamic mechanical stimulation. It was…

Metabolic energy to steer osteoblastic differentiation of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) could be a promising therapeutic target for bone tissue engineering (BTE), but prior knowledge of this issue is limited. To address bone defects with BTE, we customized a three-dimensional (3D)-printed composite scaffold (Cur@MS) to allow the controlled release of curcumin, which could facilitate the “switch-on” mode of Glucose transporter 1 (GLUT1) in BMSCs. Consequently, bioenergetic channels, i.e. glucose uptake, were “switched on” to activate GLUT1-RUNX2 crosstalk, which was closely orchestrated with bone regeneration. Furthermore, curcumin-induced cholesterol/lipid raft (Cho/LR) was a “sensor” to trigger the “switch” (GLUT1) by…

The use of bioabsorbable and biodegradable composites in the medical field has experienced significant growth. Cellulose nanofibers (CNF) have been employed to reinforce medical-grade poly[ε-caprolactone], enhancing both its load-bearing capacity and stiffness compared to pure polycaprolactone PCL. The manufacturing process involved a series of steps applied to five different grades of PCL/CNF filaments. Initially, melt extrusion and pelletization were performed on the filament, followed by 3D bioplotting to create the specimens. The influence of CNF reinforcement on poly[ε-caprolactone] was evaluated through a range of tests, including rheological, thermomechanical, and in situ micromechanical assessments. To further characterize the samples, Micro-Computed Tomography…

Acetabular cups, which are among the most important implants in total hip arthroplasty, are usually made from titanium alloys with high porosity and adequate mechanical properties. The current three-dimensional (3D) printing approaches to fabricate customized acetabular cups have some inherent disadvantages such as high cost and energy consumption, residual thermal stress, and relatively low efficiency. Thus, in this work, a direct ink writing method was developed to print a cup structure at room temperature, followed by multi-step heat treatment to form microscale porous structure within the acetabular cup. Our method is facilitated by the development of a self-supporting titanium-6 aluminum-4…

Bioinks for 3D bioprinting of tumor models should not only meet printability requirements but also accurately maintain and support phenotypes of tumor surrounding cells to recapitulate key tumor hallmarks. Collagen is a major extracellular matrix protein for solid tumors, but low viscosity of collagen solution has made 3D bioprinted cancer models challenging. This work produces embedded, bioprinted breast cancer cells and tumor organoid models using low-concentration collagen I based bioinks. The biocompatible and physically crosslinked silk fibroin hydrogel is used to generate the support bath for the embedded 3D printing. The composition of the collagen I based bioink is optimized…

CO2 sensing is important in many applications ranging from air-quality monitoring to food packaging. In this study, an amine-functionalized copolymer, poly(N-[3-(dimethylamino)propyl]-methacrylamide-co-2-N-morpholinoethyl methacrylate) (p(D-co-M)) is synthesized, offering moderate basicity suitable for a wide CO2 detection range. Taking advantage of this characteristic of p(D-co-M), this polymer is used for designing a chemiresistive, low-cost, flexible, and reversible CO2 sensor. The p(D-co-M)-based sensors show a noticeable decrease in their direct current resistance and alternating current impedance upon exposure to a wide range of CO2 concentration (1–100%) at room temperature with a response and a recovery time of 6 and 14 min, respectively. Additionally, the…

Polysaccharide based hydrogels have been predominantly utilized as ink materials for 3D bioprinting due to biocompatibility and cell responsive features. However, most hydrogels require extensive crosslinking due to poor mechanical properties leading to limited printability. To improve printability without using cytotoxic crosslinkers, thermoresponsive bioinks could be developed. Agarose is a thermoresponsive polysaccharide with upper critical solution temperature (UCST) for sol-gel transition at 35–37 °C. Therefore, we hypothesized that a triad of carboxymethyl cellulose(C)–agarose(A)–gelatin(G) could be a suitable thermoresponsive ink for printing since they undergo instantaneous gelation without any addition of crosslinkers after bioprinting. The blend of agarose-carboxymethyl cellulose was mixed with…

Background There is a great clinical need and it remains a challenge to develop artificial soft tissue constructs that can mimic the biomechanical properties and bioactivity of natural tissue. This is partly due to the lack of suitable biomaterials. Hydrogels made from human placenta offer high bioactivity and represent a potential solution to create animal-free 3D bioprinting systems that are both sustainable and acceptable, as placenta is widely considered medical waste. A combination with silk and gelatin polymers can bridge the biomechanical limitations of human placenta chorion extracellular matrix hydrogels (hpcECM) while maintaining their excellent bioactivity.   Method In this…

Hydrogels show promise in cartilage tissue engineering (CTE) by supporting chondrocytes and maintaining their phenotype and extracellular matrix (ECM) production. Under prolonged mechanical forces, however, hydrogels can be structurally unstable, leading to cell and ECM loss. Furthermore, long periods of mechanical loading might alter the production of cartilage ECM molecules, including glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) and collagen type 2 (Col2), specifically with the negative effect of stimulating fibrocartilage, typified by collagen type 1 (Col1) secretion. Reinforcing hydrogels with 3D-printed Polycaprolactone (PCL) structures offer a solution to enhance the structural integrity and mechanical response of impregnated chondrocytes. This study aimed to assess the…

The development of new biomaterials for bone tissue regeneration with high bioactivity abilities and antibacterial properties is being intensively investigated. We have synthesized nanocomposites formed by mesoporous bioactive glasses (MBGs) in the ternary SiO2, CaO and P2O5 system doped with metallic silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) that were homogenously embedded in the MBG matrices. Ag/MBG nanocomposites have been directly synthesized and silver species were spontaneously reduced to metallic AgNPs by high temperatures (700 °C) obtained of last MBG synthesis step. Three-dimensional silver-containing mesoporous bioactive glass scaffolds were fabricated showing uniformly interconnected ultrapores, macropores and mesopores. The manufacture method consisted of a combination…