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International Journal of Bioprinting Automated bioink mixer improves bioprinting

Figure 6. Reproducibility of bioink mixing performed by man or the automated mixing device. The alginate hydrogel of 6% and HEK293-GFP cells were
mixed by a skilled operator or the machine. Cell distribution was observed right after mixing under the fluorescence microscope (A, C), and cell viability
was measured 1 day after printing by XTT assays (B, D). The zigzag shapes were also extruded on the petri dishes to evaluate the homogeneity of the whole
bioink in the cartridge (E, F). n = 3; data are expressed as mean ± SD; **p < 0.01 by one-way ANOVA.

shear-thinning behaviors (Figure 7C and D). Similarly, mixing device showed smaller deviations in modulus
both bioinks transitioned into the liquid-like state (G’ < and viscosity compared to those mixed by the human
G’’) under shearing and recovered quickly into the solid- operators. Furthermore, the recovery rate of the storage
like state (G’ > G’’) when shearing stopped (Figure 7E modulus reached a higher level in machine-mixed bioinks
and F). However, the bioinks produced by the automated than human-mixed ones. These rheological findings

Volume 10 Issue 2 (2024) 390 doi: 10.36922/ijb.1974