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Biofabrication of Hepatic Constructs by 3D Bioprinting of a Cell‐Laden Thermogel: An Effective Tool to Assess Drug‐Induced Hepatotoxic Response
Author(s) -
Gori Manuele,
Giannitelli Sara M.,
Torre Miranda,
Mozetic Pamela,
Abbruzzese Franca,
Trombetta Marcella,
Traversa Enrico,
Moroni Lorenzo,
Rainer Alberto
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
advanced healthcare materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.288
H-Index - 90
eISSN - 2192-2659
pISSN - 2192-2640
DOI - 10.1002/adhm.202001163
Subject(s) - poloxamer , 3d bioprinting , biofabrication , drug , bioartificial liver device , albumin , pharmacology , materials science , biomedical engineering , chemistry , in vitro , hepatocyte , tissue engineering , biochemistry , medicine , copolymer , composite material , polymer
A thermoresponsive Pluronic/alginate semisynthetic hydrogel is used to bioprint 3D hepatic constructs, with the aim to investigate liver‐specific metabolic activity of the 3D constructs compared to traditional 2D adherent cultures. The bioprinting method relies on a bioinert hydrogel and is characterized by high‐shape fidelity, mild depositing conditions and easily controllable gelation mechanism. Furthermore, the dissolution of the sacrificial Pluronic templating agent significantly ameliorates the diffusive properties of the printed hydrogel. The present findings demonstrate high viability and liver‐specific metabolic activity, as assessed by synthesis of urea, albumin, and expression levels of the detoxifying CYP1A2 enzyme of cells embedded in the 3D hydrogel system. A markedly increased sensitivity to a well‐known hepatotoxic drug (acetaminophen) is observed for cells in 3D constructs compared to 2D cultures. Therefore, the 3D model developed herein may represent an in vitro alternative to animal models for investigating drug‐induced hepatotoxicity.