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RESEARCH ARTICLE

Tannic Acid-mediated Multifunctional 3D Printed

Composite Hydrogel for Osteochondral Regeneration

Lanlan Dong , Zhengzhe Han , Xiang Li *
1
2,†
1,†
1 School of Mechanical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
2 Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Shanghai Institute of Microsurgery on Extremities, Shanghai Jiao Tong University
Affiliated Sixth People’s Hospital, Shanghai 200233, China
†These authors contributed equally to this work

Abstract: Hydrogels have become an attractive option for tissue repair. A novel multifunctional hydrogel was developed
using a two-step method involving photopolymerization and tannic acid (TA) solution incubation. The mechanical properties
of this hydrogel were enhanced by the multi-hydrogen bond interaction between the TA and N-acryloyl glycinamide/gelatin
methacrylate (NAGA/GelMA). The compressive modulus was doubled. The compressive strengths of the hydrogel were 5.5
MPa. The swelling rate was reduced by a factor of three. The adhesion strength of the composite hydrogel reached 80 KPa.
The TA-mediated NAGA/GelMA/Laponite composite hydrogel exhibited excellent anti-fatigue and anti-oxidation properties,
as well as printability. In vitro experiments indicated that the TA-mediated hydrogel facilitated the proliferation of bone
marrow mesenchymal stem cells and osteogenic and chondrogenic differentiation. The developed multifunctional composite
hydrogel has great potential for osteochondral defect repair under osteoarthritis conditions.
Keywords: Multifunctional hydrogel; Tannic acid; Mechanical properties; Antioxidant; Biocompatibility

*Correspondence to: Xiang Li, School of Mechanical Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 800 Dongchuan Road, Shanghai 200240,
China: xiangliwj@sjtu.edu.cn

Received: March 14, 2022; Accepted: April 20, 2022; Published Online: July 5, 2022
Citation: Dong L, Han Z, Li X, 2022. Tannic Acid-mediated Multifunctional 3D Printed Composite Hydrogel for Osteochondral Regeneration.
Int J Bioprint, 8(3):587. http://doi.org/10.18063/ijb.v8i3.587

1. Introduction by combining polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and sodium
alginate . Composite hydrogels based on polyacrylamide
[12]
Hydrogel contains a large number of three-dimensional with sodium alginate have been proved to possess excellent
(3D) polymer networks formed by physical or chemical mechanical properties such as high strength, toughness, and
crosslinking. Their advantages include an extracellular [13]
matrix-like environment, a polymer network with high stretchability . However, some deficiencies, including
water content, biological activity, and flexibility similar to multi-step polymerization schemes, time-consuming
tissues [1,2] . Hydrogels have attracted extensive attention in experimental procedures, and potential cytotoxicity, have
[14]
tissue engineering and regeneration medicine, with wound restricted their further applications in tissue repair .
dressing, bone-guided regeneration membrane, cartilage N-acryloyl glycinamide (NAGA), a photopolymerizable
regeneration, and conductive cardiopathy applications [3-6] . hydrogel, has become a hot research topic because of its
[15]
Most natural hydrogels such as alginate, silk fibroin, excellent mechanical properties. Zhai et al. prepared a
chitosan, collagen, and gelatin have relatively poor composite hydrogel composed of NAGA and clay to repair
mechanical properties, which hinder their applications in skull defects. High-strength hydrogels also hold promise
tissue engineering. This is especially crucial for cartilage for osteochondral tissue repair.
tissue, requiring high strength and endurance [7,8] . Therefore, In addition, a hydrogel used for osteochondral repair
there have been numerous attempts to develop a high- should meet the following requirements. Its mechanical
[6]
strength hydrogel [9-11] . A printable, stretchable, and tough properties should match those of natural cartilage . It
hydrogel comparable to natural cartilage was developed is essential that the hydrogel adheres to the surrounding
© 2022 Author(s). This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, permitting distribution and
reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
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