AccScience Publishing / IJB / Online First / DOI: 10.36922/IJB025120098
REVIEW ARTICLE
Early Access

Recent advances in 3D bioprinting for cartilage and osteochondral regeneration

Yahao Lai1† Jiaxuan Fan1† Peilin Li2 Xuanhe You3 Hui Pan4* Zongke Zhou1* Zeyu Luo1*
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1 Department of Orthopedics, West China Hospital/West China School of Medicine, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, P.R. China
2 State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases & National Center for Stomatology & National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases & West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, Sichuan, China
3 Orthopedic Research Institution, Department of Orthopedics, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China
4 Department of Hematology/Institute of Hematology, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, China
†These authors contributed equally to this work.
Received: 20 March 2025 | Accepted: 5 May 2025 | Published online: 19 May 2025
© 2025 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

Cartilage and osteochondral are vital tissues in the human body for normal activities. Cartilage and osteochondral defects represent prevalent clinical entities characterized by limited regenerative capacity. This growing disease burden underscores the urgent need for advanced therapeutic strategies targeting both facilitating the cartilage and osteochondral regeneration. With advancements in bioprinting technology, cartilage and osteochondral tissue engineering offers new hope for treatment. However, bioprinting of cartilage and osteochondral tissue still faces significant challenges, including replicating the mechanical properties and lubrication function of cartilage and osteochondral tissue, as well as matching the structural complexity of bone-cartilage tissues. In recent years, the development of innovative bioinks and novel bioprinting technologies has provided new solutions for the biomanufacturing of cartilage and osteochondral tissue. This article systematically reviews the latest developments in the field of bioprinting for cartilage and osteochondral tissue engineering, addressing potential directions, challenges, and covering topics such as bioprinting techniques, bioinks, and recent advancements in cartilage and osteochondral regeneration. Through this article, future potential directions and existing challenges in the bioprinting of cartilage and osteochondral tissue can be further clarified.

Keywords
Biofabrication
3D bioprinting
Extrusion-based printing
Hydrogel
Composite ink
Cartilage
Funding
This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (82302786), the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (BX20230245 and 2023M742478), the Sichuan Science and Technology Program (2023YFH0068), the Sichuan Province Innovative Talent Funding Proiect for Postdoctoral Fellows (BX202203), the Sichuan University Postdoctoral Interdisciplinary Innovation Fund (JCXK2226), and the Postdoctoral Research and Development Fund of West China Hospital, Sichuan University (2023HXBH012).
Conflict of interest
The authors declare they have no competing interests.
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International Journal of Bioprinting, Electronic ISSN: 2424-8002 Print ISSN: 2424-7723, Published by AccScience Publishing