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RESEARCH ARTICLE

Ovary-derived Decellularized Extracellular Matrix-based

Bioink for Fabricating 3D Primary Ovarian Cells-laden

Structures for Mouse Ovarian Failure Correction

Jiahua Zheng , Yibin Liu , Chenxiao Hou , Zhongkang Li , Shaopeng Yang , Xiao Liang ,
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2
1
1
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Liang Zhou , Jiangbo Guo , Jingkun Zhang *, Xianghua Huang *
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1 Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China
2 Department of Gastroenterology, The Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China
3 Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, College of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine, Hebei
University of Chinese Medicine, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China
4 Department of Reproductive, The Second Hospital of Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China
5 College of Science, Hebei Research Center of Pharmaceutical and Chemical Engineering, Hebei University of Science and
Technology, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, China
Abstract: Fertility preservation is becoming a clinical duty in practice. Three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting technology is
potentially realize ovarian morphological repair and reproductive endocrine function rebuild. There is no published work
on 3D bioprinting ovary using a decellularized extracellular matrix (dECM)-based bioink, though dECM is the preferred
matrix choice for an artificial ovary. The study aimed to explore swine ovarian dECM-based bioink to fabricate 3D primary
ovarian cells (POCs)-laden structures for mouse ovarian failure correction. In this study, the ovarian dECM was converted to
dECM-based bioink by dECM solution mixed with a seaweed gelatin blend solution of bioink that was characterized using
scanning electron microscopy, circular dichroism, rheology, hematoxylin and eosin staining, and immunohistochemistry. The
3D scaffolds were, then, printed with or without POCs by the extrusion 3D bioprinter. The laden POCs viability was detected
with the live/dead assay kit. A female castrated mouse model was established, and the mice were treated with five different
methods. The results revealed that the 3D scaffold encapsulating POCs group had more positive signals in neoangiogenesis,
cell proliferation and survival than the 3D scaffold group, and ensured sex hormone secretion. Meanwhile, the expression
of germ cells in the 3D scaffold encapsulating POCs group was more intensely than the non-printed hydrogel encapsulating
POCs group. The work shows that the 3D bioprinting ovary employing ovarian dECM-based bioink is a promising approach
for ovarian failure correction.

Keywords: 3D bioprinting; Ovary; Decellularized extracellular matrix; Bioink; Primary ovarian cells

*Correspondence to: Xianghua Huang, 215 Heping West Road, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, 050000, China; huangxh2003@163.com; Jingkun Zhang,
215 Heping West Road, Shijiazhuang, Hebei, 050000, China; zhangjingk110110@163.com

Received: March 09, 2022; Accepted: May 29, 2022; Published Online: July 26, 2022
(This article belongs to the Special Issue: 3D Printing in Tissue Engineering)

Citation: Zheng J, Liu Y, Hou C, et al., 2022. Ovary-derived Decellularized Extracellular Matrix-based Bioink for Fabricating 3D Primary
Ovarian Cells-laden Structures for Mouse Ovarian Failure Correction. Int J Bioprint, 8(3): 597. http://doi.org/10.18063/ijb.v8i3.597

1. Introduction recognized as a method to restore fertility, it is not an

Fertility issues have become a crucial problem to infallible method for certain types of cancer cells due
[2]
an increasing number of women of reproductive to the risk of implantation . In recent years, tissue
age with malignancies . While cryopreservation engineering techniques may provide an approach
[1]
and transplantation of ovarian tissue is increasingly to solve the clinical problems by constructing
© 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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