Infiltration from Suspension Systems Enables Effective Modulation of 3D Scaffold Properties in Suspension Bioprinting

Abstract

Bioprinting is a biofabrication technology which allows efficient and large-scale manufacture of 3D cell culture systems. However, the available biomaterials for bioinks used in bioprinting are limited by their printability and biological functionality. Fabricated constructs are often homogeneous and have limited complexity in terms of current 3D cell culture systems comprising multiple cell types. Inspired by the phenomenon that hydrogels can exchange liquids under the infiltration action, infiltration-induced suspension bioprinting (IISBP), a novel printing technique based on a hyaluronic acid (HA) suspension system to modulate the properties of the printed scaffolds by infiltration action, was described in this study. HA served as a suspension system due to its shear-thinning and self-healing rheological properties, simplicity of preparation, reusability, and ease of adjustment to osmotic pressure. Changes in osmotic pressure were able to direct the swelling or shrinkage of 3D printed gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA)-based bioinks, enabling the regulation of physical properties such as fiber diameter, micromorphology, mechanical strength, and water absorption of 3D printed scaffolds. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) were applied as a cell culture model and printed within cell-laden scaffolds at high resolution and cell viability with the IISBP technique. Herein, the IISBP technique had been realized as a reliable hydrogel-based bioprinting technique, which enabled facile modulation of 3D printed hydrogel scaffolds properties, being expected to meet the scaffolds requirements of a wide range of cell culture conditions to be utilized in bioprinting applications.

Dissecting the Interplay Mechanism among Process Parameters toward the Biofabrication of High‐Quality Shapes in Embedded Bioprinting

“…Further, the same support bath material can be reused in the bioprinting process three times without eliciting significant differences among the three prints made in the same support bath. [40] Another critical factor is the selection of the right nozzle, which also impacts the bioprinting results. The bioprinting process may be interrupted because of nozzle blockage due to a highly viscous bioink or bending due to the resistance from the support material, which is catastrophic for the bioprinting efficiency and quality.…”

“…(iii) Optical photographs of the fibers formed by the GAH‐ink printed in different HA support baths; Adapated with permission. [ 40 ] Copyright 2022, American Chemical Society.…”

“…(D) IISBP (i) the schematic representation of the technique showing the fiber embedded in the HA support bath during bioprinting; (ii) Young's modulus of the scaffolds formed by the GAH-ink in different HA support bath. (iii) Optical photographs of the fibers formed by the GAH-ink printed in different HA support baths; Adapated with permission [40]. Copyright 2022, American Chemical Society.…”

Self-Healing Hydrogels: From Synthesis to Multiple Applications

“…An infiltration-induced suspension bioprinting (IISBP) technique was reported for a 3D-printed self-healing hydrogel scaffold. 269 The hyaluronic acid suspension system was mainly prepared from sodium hyaluronate dissolved in PBS buffer. The hyaluronic acid support liquid had a shielding effect on cytotoxic ultraviolet rays and could be restored after repeated cuts.…”

“…An infiltration-induced suspension bioprinting (IISBP) technique was reported for a 3D-printed self-healing hydrogel scaffold . The hyaluronic acid suspension system was mainly prepared from sodium hyaluronate dissolved in PBS buffer.…”