AccScience Publishing / IJB / Volume 9 / Issue 6 / DOI: 10.36922/ijb.0116
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REVIEW

Recent progress on 3D-printed gelatin methacrylate-based biomaterials for articular cartilage repair  

Liang Chen1,3 ,  Guowei Huang1 ,  Ming Yu1 ,  Yang Liu1 ,  Tao Cheng1 ,  Aiguo Li1* ,  Wen Wang1* ,  Shengnan Qin1,2*
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1 Department of Orthopedics, Guangzhou Institute of Traumatic Surgery, Guangzhou Red Cross Hospital, Medical College, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China
2 School of Biomedical Science, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
3 The second hospital of Tangshan, Tangshan, China
IJB 2023, 9(6), 0116 https://doi.org/10.36922/ijb.0116
Submitted: 5 April 2023 | Accepted: 19 June 2023 | Published: 1 August 2023
© 2023 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/ )
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Abstract

The structure and composition of articular cartilage is complex, and its self-healing ability is limited, and thus, it is difficult to achieve ideal healing once the articular cartilage is damaged. Recently, three-dimensional (3D) printing technology has provided a new possibility for the repair of articular cartilage. Engineered cartilage tissues can be fabricated by superimposing customized inks, considering different geometric structures and components of tissues. 3D printing can be effectively used to manufacture high-precision structures with complex geometry, solving the shortcomings of traditional scaffold fabrication techniques. Gelatin methacrylate (GelMA) is modified gelatin and is currently a widely used 3D printing ink due to its photocrosslinking properties. With good biocompatibility and tunable physical properties, it can provide a good scaffold platform for cell proliferation and growth factor release. Given that the role of 3D printing technology in cartilage repair has been widely reported, this article reviews the research progress of 3D-printed GelMA-based biomaterials in articular cartilage tissue engineering. We focus primarily on how 3D printing technology addresses the existing challenges inherent to the field of articular cartilage tissue engineering. We accentuate the modifications implemented in GelMA-based 3D printing scaffolds to optimize articular cartilage regeneration. Additionally, we provide a comprehensive summary of the utilization of GelMA-based biomaterials incorporating various cells, growth factors, or other tissue components and highlight how these adaptations, in conjunction with the benefits of 3D printing technology, facilitate improvements the articular cartilage repair.

Keywords
3D printing
Gelatin methacrylate
Articular cartilage
Tissue engineering
Funding
This work was supported by the Guangzhou science and technology project to Aiguo Li or Wen Wang (grant number 2023A03J0987, 202002030049, 201704020145) and by the Oversea Study Program of Guangzhou Elite Project to Shengnan Qin (N/A).
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Conflict of interest
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
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International Journal of Bioprinting, Electronic ISSN: 2424-8002 Print ISSN: 2424-7723, Published by AccScience Publishing
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