Precisely printable and biocompatible silk fibroin bioink for digital light processing 3D printing

Abstract

Although three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting technology has gained much attention in the field of tissue engineering, there are still several significant engineering challenges to overcome, including lack of bioink with biocompatibility and printability. Here, we show a bioink created from silk fibroin (SF) for digital light processing (DLP) 3D bioprinting in tissue engineering applications. The SF-based bioink (Sil-MA) was produced by a methacrylation process using glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) during the fabrication of SF solution. The mechanical and rheological properties of Sil-MA hydrogel proved to be outstanding in experimental testing and can be modulated by varying the Sil-MA contents. This Sil-MA bioink allowed us to build highly complex organ structures, including the heart, vessel, brain, trachea and ear with excellent structural stability and reliable biocompatibility. Sil-MA bioink is well-suited for use in DLP printing process and could be applied to tissue and organ engineering depending on the specific biological requirements.

The Mechanical Properties, Secondary Structure, and Osteogenic Activity of Photopolymerized Fibroin

“…However, the rigidity of native silk is smaller compared to that in [4], so introduction of methacrylic moieties makes the material similar to the osseous tissue. Our study showed that the MG63 cells can attach, proliferate, and survive on FbMA-F-et films, indicating a good cytocompatibility of the scaffold ( Figure 6A-C) [18,39]. Cell-substrate interactions are crucial for a plethora of physiological processes, including cell growth and differentiation, tissue remodeling, regeneration, viability, immune responses, etc.…”

Chemical insights into bioinks for 3D printing

“…25B) absorbs at 375 nm and is less toxic than Irgacure. 106,159,170 Eosin Y (2′,4′,5′,7′tetrabromofluorescein disodium salt, Fig. 25C) absorbs at 514nm (blue visible light), which induces less oxidative stress for cells.…”

“…21C). 159 Functionalization has been performed on the backbone of proteins such as gelatin and silk fibroin, 159 oligosaccharides including hyaluronic acid, 157 and on the extremities of linear or branched PEG. A wide range of methacrylated, dimethacrylated, and diacrylated ( Fig.…”

Printability of External and Internal Structures Based on Digital Light Processing 3D Printing Technique

“…For example, it could be used to generate dental models with high accuracy [3], and cartilage with proper and satisfactory biomechanical properties [4]. In addition, the DLP technique could also produce samples with predetermined internal structures for highly complex organs, including the trachea, heart, lung, and vasculatures [5]. Recently, the DLP technique has been used to prepare solid preparations for oral drug administrations.…”