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Long‐term in vivo integrity and safety of 3D ‐bioprinted cartilaginous constructs
Author(s) -
Apelgren Peter,
Amoroso Matteo,
Säljö Karin,
Lindahl Anders,
Brantsing Camilla,
Stridh Orrhult Linnéa,
Markstedt Kajsa,
Gatenholm Paul,
Kölby Lars
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of biomedical materials research part b: applied biomaterials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.665
H-Index - 108
eISSN - 1552-4981
pISSN - 1552-4973
DOI - 10.1002/jbm.b.34687
Subject(s) - in vivo , 3d bioprinting , biomedical engineering , cartilage , scaffold , structural integrity , tissue engineering , materials science , microbiology and biotechnology , medicine , anatomy , biology , structural engineering , engineering
Long‐term stability and biological safety are crucial for translation of 3D‐bioprinting technology into clinical applications. Here, we addressed the long‐term safety and stability issues associated with 3D‐bioprinted constructs comprising a cellulose scaffold and human cells (chondrocytes and stem cells) over a period of 10 months in nude mice. Our findings showed that increasing unconfined compression strength over time significantly improved the mechanical stability of the cell‐containing constructs relative to cell‐free scaffolds. Additionally, the cell‐free constructs exhibited a mean compressive stress and stiffness (compressive modulus) of 0.04 ± 0.05 MPa and 0.14 ± 0.18 MPa, respectively, whereas these values for the cell‐containing constructs were 0.11 ± 0.08 MPa ( p = .019) and 0.53 ± 0.59 MPa ( p = .012), respectively. Moreover, histomorphologic analysis revealed that cartilage formed from the cell‐containing constructs harbored an abundance of proliferating chondrocytes in clusters, and after 10 months, resembled native cartilage. Furthermore, extension of the experiment over the complete lifecycle of the animal model revealed no signs of ossification, fibrosis, necrosis, or implant‐related tumor development in the 3D‐bioprinted constructs. These findings confirm the in vivo biological safety and mechanical stability of 3D‐bioprinted cartilaginous tissues and support their potential translation into clinical applications.