Three-Dimensional Cell Printed Lock-Key Structure for Oral Soft and Hard Tissue Regeneration

Abstract

Alveolar ridge absorbs rapidly following tooth extraction. To promote implant rehabilitation, an adequate bone and soft tissue volume are required. Three-dimensional (3D) cell printing technique provides the advantages of precise spatial distribution and personalization. In this study, 3D cell printing was used to establish a soft-hard construct that is composed of alginate/gelatin (AG)/gingival fibroblast cells (GFs) and alginate/gelatin/nanohydroxyapatite (AGH)/bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs). Physicochemical results showed that nano-hydroxyapatite (nHA) added in the bioink maintained its crystalline phase. In addition, an increase of viscosity, the improvement of compressive modulus ( p < 0.01), and slow degradation rate ( p < 0.01) were found after adding nHA. SEM showed cell stretched and attached well on the surface of the 3D printed construct. At day 7 after printing, the viability of GFs in AG was 94.80% -1.14%, while BMSC viability in AGH was 86.59% -0.75%. Polymerase chain reaction results indicated that the expression levels of ALP, RUNX-2, and OCN in BMSCs were higher in AGH than AG bioink ( p < 0.01). After 8-week implantation into the dorsum of 6-to 8-week-old male athymic and inbred (BALB/c) nude mice, the cellular printed construct displayed a more integrated structure and better healing of subcutaneous tissue compared with the acellular printed construct. In conclusion, this 3D cell printed soft-hard construct exhibits favorable biocompatibility and has potential for alveolar ridge preservation.

Utilizing 3D bioprinted platelet-rich fibrin-based materials to promote the regeneration of oral soft tissue

“…Healthy gingival samples were collected from 20- to 30-year-old patients undergoing crown lengthening in the Periodontology Department of Peking University Hospital of Stomatology, with a tissue block method employed for HGF extraction as published previously [ 25 ]. The Ethics Committee of Peking University School of Stomatology approved the study (PKUSSIRB-201950166).…”

Electroosmotic Micromixing in Physicochemically Patterned Microchannels

“…It is now well-known that there are multifold advantages of using microfluidic devices over macroscopic ones owing to their portability, ease of use, availability of a higher surface-to-volume ratio for the process intensified engineering processes, control over the reagent parameters owing to their usage of smaller volumes, and capacity to bring in the aspects of very-large-scale integration (VLSI) for a larger throughput and multitasking, among others. Thus, such microfluidic platforms are found to appear in diverse modern-day functionalities that include drug delivery, − point-of-care diagnostics, − tissue engineering, − high-throughput screening, − protein crystallization, − and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) analysis. , In particular, the success in the integration of multiplexing of microfluidic devices on the lab-on-a-chip , platforms has led to the development of portable laboratory prototypes in the diverse areas of biology, − chemistry, − medicine, , and engineering. , However, several limitations related to microfluidic platforms have emerged over the years, including the diffusion-limited mixing capacity, a relatively lower throughput, and crowding–clogging of transport materials, among others. Of late, such areas have become intense scientific and engineering research.…”

Novel In Situ-Cross-Linked Electrospun Gelatin/Hydroxyapatite Nonwoven Scaffolds Prove Suitable for Periodontal Tissue Engineering

“…Against this background, polymer-based, biodegradable biomaterials have proven suitable as scaffolds that allow the in vitro modeling of complex biological processes such as soft and hard tissue regeneration, which are both important in the context of periodontal tissue engineering [30][31][32]. Various nontoxic natural and synthetic polymers, including chitosan [33], alginate [34], collagen/gelatin [35], and polylactic [36] and polyglycolic acid [37], have been adapted for similar applications and imitate natural extracellular matrices (ECMs) [38,39]. Among them, gelatin is a natural origin protein obtained by acidic and alkaline processing of collagen type I, the main protein component of the skin, bones, and connective tissue of animals.…”