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International Journal of Bioprinting 3D-Printed GelMA biomaterials in cartilage repair

Figure 4. Schematic diagram of scaffolds, growth factors, and cells as biomimetic components of articular cartilage regeneration.

This is one of the biggest advantages of 3D printing GelMA is endowed with the property of photocrosslinking,
technology over other technologies in articular cartilage which comes into effect under ultraviolet (UV) light
reconstruction. In addition, with the aid of the 3D printing with a photoinitiator [3,11] . This allows for the precise
technique, a variety of biomaterials, growth factors, and control over the mechanical properties and structure of
cells can be added into inks, and the printed engineered GelMA hydrogels. The methacrylation process involves
cartilage with more accurate geometric structures the reactions of methacrylic anhydride with the primary
and more similar components can attain in situ tissue amino acids present in the side chain of specific amino
regeneration (Figure 4). This makes personalized printing acids. It is worth mentioning that most of the functional
a reality according to situations of different patients. RGD motifs of gelatin will not be noticeably affected
after the modification of methacrylate, thereby retaining
3. Advantages of GelMA as an ink in the cell adhesive properties of gelatin [1,10,12] (Figure 5). This
cartilage tissue engineering enables the GelMA hydrogels to possess unique patterns,
providing better platforms to guide cellular behavior via
Gelatin is the hydrolysis product of collagen but with cell–biomaterial and tissue–biomaterial interactions [1,13] .
better solubility and less antigenicity . Similar to collagen, Furthermore, the MMP-sensitive motifs in GelMA are also
[9]
gelatin contains a variety of the arginine-glycine-aspartic not influenced as the GelMA hydrogels could be degraded
acid (Arg-Gly-Asp, RGD) sequences that are beneficial by MMP-1 and MMP-8 . As such, GelMA hydrogel could
[12]
to adhesion as well as the target sequences of matrix be easily printed without affecting the original properties,
metalloproteinases (MMP) that promote cell remodeling . such as good adhesion and controlled degradation of
[10]
Due to the introduction of the methacryloyl groups, gelatin.

Volume 9 Issue 6 (2023) 242 https://doi.org/10.36922/ijb.0116