Changxue Xu1,2,3, Wenxuan Chai1,4,2,3, Yong Huang1,2,3, Roger R. Markwald5
1Department of Mechanical Engineering, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina 29634
2fax: 1-864-656-4435
3telephone: 1-864-656-5643
4School of Agricultural, Forest and Environmental Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina
5Department of Regenerative Medicine and Cell Biology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina
Tóm tắt
AbstractThe capability to print three‐dimensional (3D) cellular tubes is not only a logical first step towards successful organ printing but also a critical indicator of the feasibility of the envisioned organ printing technology. A platform‐assisted 3D inkjet bioprinting system has been proposed to fabricate 3D complex constructs such as zigzag tubes. Fibroblast (3T3 cell)‐based tubes with an overhang structure have been successfully fabricated using the proposed bioprinting system. The post‐printing 3T3 cell viability of printed cellular tubes has been found above 82% (or 93% with the control effect considered) even after a 72‐h incubation period using the identified printing conditions for good droplet formation, indicating the promising application of the proposed bioprinting system. Particularly, it is proved that the tubular overhang structure can be scaffold‐free fabricated using inkjetting, and the maximum achievable height depends on the inclination angle of the overhang structure. As a proof‐of‐concept study, the resulting fabrication knowledge helps print tissue‐engineered blood vessels with complex geometry. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2012; 109: 3152–3160. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
