AccScience Publishing / IJB / Volume 10 / Issue 5 / DOI: 10.36922/ijb.4069
RESEARCH ARTICLE

Methacrylic anhydride-assisted one-step in situ extrusion 3D bioprinting of collagen hydrogels for enhanced full-thickness skin regeneration

Xiaxia Yang1,2 Linyan Yao1,2 Wenhua Li1,2 Xiaodi Huang1,2 Na Li1,2 Jianxi Xiao1,2*
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1 State Key Laboratory of Applied Organic Chemistry, College of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
2 Gansu Engineering Research Center of Medical Collagen, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
IJB 2024, 10(5), 4069 https://doi.org/10.36922/ijb.4069
Submitted: 28 June 2024 | Accepted: 7 August 2024 | Published: 9 August 2024
© 2024 by the Author(s). This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ )
Abstract

Full-thickness skin injuries cause extended inflammation, compromised angiogenesis, and protracted wound healing, presenting considerable health risks. Herein, we introduce an innovative technique utilizing methacrylic anhydride (MA)-enhanced, one-step in situ extrusion 3D bioprinting of collagen hydrogels, specifically engineered for the effective repair of full-thickness skin injuries. This method capitalizes on the inherent bioactivity of collagen, surmounting its mechanical constraints via a streamlined, one-step extrusion process enabled by MA. The resultant biomaterial ink, an optimized mix of collagen, MA, and photoinitiator, demonstrates superior printability, mechanical robustness, and stability, making it an ideal candidate for direct application to wound sites. The bioprinted collagen scaffolds exhibit improved mechanical strength, reduced swelling, and enhanced resistance to enzymatic degradation, providing a durable matrix for cell proliferation and tissue in-growth. In vitro assessments reveal that the scaffolds support human foreskin fibroblast adhesion, proliferation, and migration, creating a conducive environment for skin regeneration. In vivo evaluations, conducted using a rat full-thickness skin injury model, further validate the scaffold’s efficacy in promoting rapid and orderly tissue repair, characterized by accelerated re-epithelialization and organized collagen deposition. This MA-enhanced, in situ extrusion 3D bioprinting technique generates collagen hydrogel scaffolds that significantly accelerate wound healing, offering promising advancements in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.

Graphical abstract
Keywords
Collagen
Extrusion 3D bioprinting
Full-thickness skin regeneration
Funding
This work was supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant nos. 22074057 and 22205089), the Natural Science Foundation of Gansu Province (grant no. 20YF3FA025), and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (grant no. lzujbky-2021-it15).
Conflict of interest
The authors declare no competing interest.
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International Journal of Bioprinting, Electronic ISSN: 2424-8002 Print ISSN: 2424-7723, Published by AccScience Publishing