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International Journal of Bioprinting 3D printing innovations against infection

Burn injuries represent a prevalent form of trauma manually crafted bilayered dermal–epidermal equivalents
globally, often necessitating surgical interventions, in laboratory conditions (Table 3).
such as the excision of damaged skin and subsequent The integration of 3D-printed antimicrobial materials
reconstruction using skin substitutes, particularly in into wound healing treatments leads to effective reduction
cases of extensive burns. In burn treatment, infection of infection risk, improved treatment outcomes, wound
poses a common yet severe challenge. The compromised healing, and enhanced quality of life for patients. This
barrier function of the skin post-burn injury renders technological application holds significant promise in burn
patients susceptible to various microbial infections caused medicine, with anticipated advancements in treatment
by bacteria, fungi, and viruses. However, traditional outcomes and a reduction in associated complications.
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skin substitutes have inherent limitations, including the
inability to encompass all skin cell types and adequately 4.4. Innovative 3D-bioprinted dental materials for
replicate the physiological characteristics of natural skin. oral infection elimination
To enhance the efficacy of burn treatments, 3D bioprinting The intricate 3D architecture of teeth and their supporting
technology has emerged in recent years. This technology tissues plays a crucial role in ensuring the proper
not only enables the fabrication of tailored antimicrobial functioning of our oral cavity in daily activities such as
dressings for covering burn wounds, thereby reducing chewing, speech, and digestion. However, common dental
infection risks and promoting wound healing, but also conditions, such as dental caries, periodontal disease, and
facilitates the layer-by-layer deposition of cells and tooth loss, pose a threat to these physiological functions
scaffolding materials in the affected area to closely mimic for various reasons. Dental caries, induced by acid erosion
the structure and function of natural skin, subsequently from oral bacteria, stands out as one of the most prevalent
decreasing the likelihood of infection. For instance, the oral issues. If untreated, it has the potential to erode
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versatility of chitosan methacrylate was used to fabricate enamel and dentin, resulting in pain and compromising
customizable wound dressings via 3D printing, which the chewing function. Periodontal disease, involving
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was printable, biodegradable, and biocompatible during inflammation of tissues surrounding the teeth, including
wound healing. Various drugs relevant to the treatment gingivitis and periodontitis, adds to the array of challenges.
of burns can be loaded, and different multimaterial Oftentimes, traditional techniques are unable to accurately
wound dressing designs containing different dosages are replicate the complexity of dental anatomy and the intricate
fabricated via 3D printing. The incorporation of other multicellular interactions involved.
drugs will not significantly affect the printability of chitosan
methacrylate, and the incorporation of antimicrobial Three-dimensional printing technology is currently
agents can obviously improve its antimicrobial capabilities. spearheading significant advancements in regenerative
Through in vivo experiments on mice models, it was found dentistry. A key advantage lies in the precise reconstruction
that these variations in wound dressing designs have good of the intricate dental system, including the periodontal
properties for the treatment of thermal burns (Figure 6D). ligament, alveolar bone, and odontoblasts, through
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Lee et al. employed a non-contact dispenser and an the utilization of 3D-printed bioengineered scaffolds
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atomized aqueous crosslinking agent in conjunction (Table 3). This technology enables the fabrication of
with a highly energized 3D bioprinting technique to personalized prostheses and braces with the incorporation
innovatively print and culture human skin cells in collagen of antimicrobial materials, effectively inhibiting bacterial
hydrogel scaffolds on-demand. This approach resulted growth and mitigating the risk of oral infections. Given
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in a distinct dermal/epidermal-like layer, showcasing its the inherent high porosity and hygroscopic properties
potential for skin regeneration and the development of of commonly used 3D-printed polymer materials in
wound-specific tissue-engineered skin products in an in dentistry, biofilm formation is a concern. In response,
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vitro wound model. This approach broadens the scope Mai et al. innovatively developed chlorhexidine-
for drug screening and expands the applications of tissue loaded polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-based coatings.
engineering. Cubo et al. achieved successful 3D printing These coatings, applied to 3D-printed polymers through
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of a human plasma-containing skin structure incorporating oxygen plasma and heat treatment, not only improved
both fibroblasts and keratin-forming cells. Utilizing bioink surface flatness and hydrophobicity but also demonstrated
containing human plasma and primary human fibroblasts substantial antimicrobial activity (Figure 7A). Recognizing
and keratinocytes obtained from skin biopsies, they the widespread occurrence of dental caries and the
printed a 100 cm skin in less than 35 min. Histological and prolonged treatment cycles involved, a study employed
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immunohistochemical analyses revealed that the printed 3D printing to craft personalized dental fillings tailored to
skin closely resembled human skin, indistinguishable from long-term treatment needs. Utilizing tinidazole as a model,

Volume 10 Issue 4 (2024) 140 doi: 10.36922/ijb.2338