Customization of an Ultrafast Thiol-Norbornene Photo-Cross-Linkable Hyaluronic Acid-Gelatin Bioink for Extrusion-Based 3D Bioprinting

Biomacromolecules. 2023 Nov 13;24(11):5414-5427. doi: 10.1021/acs.biomac.3c00887. Epub 2023 Oct 26.

Abstract

Light-based three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting has been widely studied in tissue engineering. Despite the fact that free-radical chain polymerization-based bioinks like hyaluronic acid methacrylate (HAMA) and gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA) have been extensively explored in 3D bioprinting, the thiol-ene hydrogel system has attracted increasing attention for its ability in building hydrogel scaffolds in an oxygen-tolerant and cell-friendly way. Herein, we report a superfast curing thiol-ene bioink composed of norbornene-modified hyaluronic acid (NorHA) and thiolated gelatin (GelSH) for 3D bioprinting. A new facile approach was first introduced in the synthesis of NorHA, which circumvented the cumbersome steps involved in previous works. Additionally, after mixing NorHA with macro-cross-linker GelSH, the customized NorHA/GelSH bioinks exhibited fascinating superiorities over the gold standard GelMA bioinks, such as an ultrafast curing rate (1-5 s), much lowered photoinitiator concentration (0.03% w/v), and flexible physical performances. Moreover, the NorHA/GelSH hydrogel greatly avoided excess ROS generation, which is important for the survival of the encapsulated cells. Last, compared with the GelMA scaffold, the 3D-printed NorHA/GelSH scaffold not only exhibited excellent cell viability but also guaranteed cell proliferation, revealing its superior bioactivity. In conclusion, the NorHA/GelSH system is a promising candidate for 3D bioprinting and tissue engineering applications.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Bioprinting* / methods
  • Gelatin
  • Hyaluronic Acid
  • Hydrogels
  • Norbornanes
  • Printing, Three-Dimensional
  • Sulfhydryl Compounds
  • Tissue Engineering / methods
  • Tissue Scaffolds*

Substances

  • Hyaluronic Acid
  • Gelatin
  • Sulfhydryl Compounds
  • Hydrogels
  • 2-norbornene
  • Norbornanes