Bioink derived from human placenta supporting angiogenesis

Abstract

Bioprinting is an emerging approach for constructing sophisticated tissue analogues with detailed architectures such as vascular networks, which requires bioink to fulfill the highly printable property and provide a cell-friendly microenvironment mimicking a native extracellular matrix (ECM). Here, we developed a human placental ECM-derived bioink (hp-bioink) meeting the requirements of 3D printing for printability and bioactivity. We first decellularized the human placenta, followed by enzymatic digestion, dialysis, lyophilization, and re-solubilization to convert the extracts into hp-bioink. Then, we demonstrated that 3%-5% of hp-bioink can be printed with self-standing and 1%-2% of hp-bioink can be embedded and printed within suspended hydrogels. Moreover, hp-bioink supports human umbilical vein endothelial cell assemblyin vitroand angiogenesis in micein vivo. Our research enriches the bank of human-derived bioinks, and provides a new opportunity to further accelerate bioprinting research and application.

Keywords: 3D printing; ECM; angiogenesis; bioink; human placenta.