Page 70 - IJB-9-4

International Journal of Bioprinting

RESEARCH ARTICLE
3D bioprinting of ultrashort self-assembling

peptides to engineer scaffolds with different
matrix stiffness for chondrogenesis

Dana M. Alhattab 1,2,3 , Zainab Khan 1,2,3 , Salwa Alshehri , Hepi H. Susapto ,
1,5
4
Charlotte A. E. Hauser 1,2,3 *
1 Laboratory for Nanomedicine, Bioengineering Program, Division of Biological & Environmental
Science & Engineering (BESE), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST),
Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
2 Computational Bioscience Research Center (CBRC), KAUST, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
3
Red Sea Research Center (RSRC), KAUST, Thuwal, Saudi Arabia
4 Biochemistry Department, Faculty of Science, University of Jeddah, Jeddah 21577, Saudi Arabia
5 Mechanobiology Institute, National University of Singapore, 117411, Singapore, Singapore

Abstract
Articular cartilage is a nonvascularized and poorly cellularized tissue with a low self-
repair capacity. Therefore, damage to this tissue due to trauma or degenerative joint
diseases such as osteoarthritis needs a high-end medical intervention. However, such
interventions are costly, have limited healing capacity, and could impair patients’
*Corresponding author: quality of life. In this regard, tissue engineering and three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting
Charlotte A. E. Hauser
(charlotte.hauser@kaust.edu.sa) hold great potential. However, identifying suitable bioinks that are biocompatible,
with the desired mechanical stiffness, and can be used under physiological conditions
Citation: Alhattab DM, Khan Z,
Alshehri S, et al., 2023, 3D is still a challenge. In this study, we developed two tetrameric self-assembling
bioprinting of ultrashort self- ultrashort peptide bioinks that are chemically well-defined and can spontaneously
assembling peptides to engineer form nanofibrous hydrogels under physiological conditions. The printability of
scaffolds with different matrix
stiffness for chondrogenesis. the two ultrashort peptides was demonstrated; different shape constructs were
Int J Bioprint, 9(4): 719. printed with high shape fidelity and stability. Furthermore, the developed ultrashort
https://doi.org/10.18063/ijb.719 peptide bioinks gave rise to constructs with different mechanical properties that
Received: February 12, 2023 could be used to guide stem cell differentiation toward specific lineages. Both
Accepted: February 26, 2023 ultrashort peptide bioinks demonstrated high biocompatibility and supported the
Published Online: March 24, 2023 chondrogenic differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells. Additionally, the
Copyright: © 2023 Author(s). gene expression analysis of differentiated stem cells with the ultrashort peptide
This is an Open Access article bioinks revealed articular cartilage extracellular matrix formation preference. Based
distributed under the terms of the
Creative Commons Attribution on the different mechanical stiffness of the two ultrashort peptide bioinks, they can
License, permitting distribution be used to fabricate cartilage tissue with different cartilaginous zones, including
and reproduction in any medium, the articular and calcified cartilage zones, which are essential for engineered tissue
provided the original work is
properly cited. integration.
Publisher’s Note: Whioce
Publishing remains neutral with Keywords: Ultrashort self-assembling peptide; 3D bioprinting; Peptide bioink;
regard to jurisdictional claims in
published maps and institutional Chondrogenic differentiation
affiliations.

Volume 9 Issue 4 (2023) 62 https://doi.org/10.18063/ijb.719