Page 139 - IJB-9-1

International Journal of Bioprinting

RESEARCH ARTICLE
Bacterial nanocellulose-reinforced gelatin

methacryloyl hydrogel enhances biomechanical
property and glycosaminoglycan content of

3D-bioprinted cartilage

1
1
Jinshi Zeng , Litao Jia , Di Wang , Zhuoqi Chen , Wenshuai Liu , Qinghua Yang *,
1
1
1
1
Xia Liu *, Haiyue Jiang *
1
1,2
1 Research Center of Plastic Surgery Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking
Union Medical College, Beijing, 100144, PR China
2 Key Laboratory of External Tissue and Organ Regeneration, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences
and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, 100144, PR China
(This article belongs to the Special Issue: 3D Bioprinting with Photocurable Bioinks)
Abstract

Tissue-engineered ear cartilage scaffold based on three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting
technology presents a new strategy for ear reconstruction in individuals with microtia.
Natural hydrogel is a promising material due to its excellent biocompatibility and low
immunogenicity. However, insufficient mechanical property required for cartilage is
one of the major issues pending to be solved. In this study, the gelatin methacryloyl
*Corresponding author: (GelMA) hydrogel reinforced with bacterial nanocellulose (BNC) was developed to
Haiyue Jiang enhance the biomechanical properties and printability of the hydrogel. The results
(jianghaiyue@psh.pumc.edu.cn) revealed that the addition of 0.375% BNC significantly increased the mechanical
Citation: Zeng J, Jia L, Wang D, et properties of the hydrogel and promoted cell migration in the BNC-reinforced
al., 2023, Bacterial nanocellulose- hydrogel. Constructs bioprinted with chondrocyte-laden BNC/GelMA hydrogel
reinforced gelatin methacryloyl bio-ink formed mature cartilage in nude mice with higher Young’s modulus and
hydrogel enhances biomechanical
property and glycosaminoglycan glycosaminoglycan content. Finally, an auricle equivalent with a precise shape, high
content of 3D-bioprinted cartilage. mechanics, and abundant cartilage-specific matrix was developed in vivo. In this
Int J Bioprint, 9(1): 631. study, we developed a potentially useful hydrogel for the manufacture of auricular
https://doi.org/10.18063/ijb.v9i1.631
cartilage grafts for microtia patients.
Received: July 5, 2022
Accepted: July 22, 2022 Keywords: 3D bioprinting; Bacterial nanocellulose; Gelatin methacryloyl;
Published Online: October 29, Glycosaminoglycan content; Biomechanical property; Auricular cartilage
2022
Copyright: © 2022 Author(s). This
is an Open Access article 1. Introduction
distributed under the terms of the
Creative Commons Attribution In clinical practice, microtia is one of the most common congenital malformations.
License, permitting distribution, and At present, autologous costal cartilage transplantation has become the most common
reproduction in any medium, [1-5]
provided the original work is treatment for microtia . However, the complications caused by this operation, such
properly cited. as pneumothorax, post-operative pain, and chest wall deformity, are hardly inevitable.
Moreover, the manually carved stent relies more on the technique of the surgeon, and
Publisher’s Note: Whioce
Publishing remains neutral with there is no accurate shape for a stent [6,7] .
regard to jurisdictional claims in
published maps and institutional Recent advances in regenerative medicine and tissue engineering have provided
affiliations. new hope for the treatment of microtia . Professor Haiyue Jiang’s team has successfully
[8]

Volume 9 Issue 1 (2023) 131 https://doi.org/10.18063/ijb.v9i1.631