Chondroitin and Dermatan Sulfate Bioinks for 3D Bioprinting and Cartilage Regeneration

Abstract

Cartilage is a connective tissue which a limited capacity for healing and repairing. In this context, osteoarthritis (OA) disease may be developed with high prevalence in which the use of scaffolds may be a promising treatment. In addition, three‐dimensional (3D) bioprinting has become an emerging additive manufacturing technology because of its rapid prototyping capacity and the possibility of creating complex structures. This study is focused on the development of nanocellulose‐alginate (NC‐Alg) based bioinks for 3D bioprinting for cartilage regeneration to which it is added chondroitin sulfate (CS) and dermatan sulfate (DS). First, rheological properties are evaluated. Then, sterilization effect, biocompatibility, and printability on developed NC‐Alg‐CS and NC‐Alg‐DS inks are evaluated. Subsequently, printed scaffolds are characterized. Finally, NC‐Alg‐CS and NC‐Alg‐DS inks are loaded with murine D1‐MSCs‐EPO and cell viability and functionality, as well as the chondrogenic differentiation ability are assessed. Results show that the addition of both CS and DS to the NC‐Alg ink improves its characteristics in terms of rheology and cell viability and functionality. Moreover, differentiation to cartilage is promoted on NC‐Alg‐CS and NC‐Alg‐DS scaffolds. Therefore, the utilization of MSCs containing NC‐Alg‐CS and NC‐Alg‐DS scaffolds may become a feasible tissue engineering approach for cartilage regeneration.

Chondroitin Sulfate-Tyramine-Based Hydrogels for Cartilage Tissue Repair

“…Moreover, it was shown that CS-tyramine hydrogels have a good cytocompatibility and the enhanced proliferation of porcine auricular chondrocytes [ 12 ]. Furthermore, CS can regulate cartilage metabolism and has anti-inflammatory properties trough cross-linking tyramine groups [ 13 ]. Gelatin (Gel), another natural compound, also possesses tyramine groups that could help to mimic the macromolecular structure and features of ECM [ 12 ].…”

From materials to clinical use: advances in 3D-printed scaffolds for cartilage tissue engineering

“…5). 51 Dermatan sulfate (DS), which is similar to ChS, has also been tried by adding to NC-Alg ink to improve its properties. DS and ChS have the same chemical make-up, however there are certain glucuronic acid residues in DS that go through an epimerization process to become iduronates.…”

Natural Materials for 3D Printing and Their Applications

“…The test results showed that the CS addition could effectively improve the characteristics of the cellular activity and rheology of the bio-ink. Simultaneously, the biological scaffold prepared using sodium cellulose-alginate–CS can effectively promote cartilage differentiation, providing a new method for cartilage regeneration [ 66 ]. Sousa et al used Tetrazine–CS (TCS), 8-Arm polyethylene glycol-Norbornene (8A-PEG-N), and 4-Arm polyethylene glycol-Norbornene (4A-PEG-N) as materials to prepare TCS-A-PEG-N porous hydrogels.…”