AccScience Publishing / IJB / Online First / DOI: 10.36922/IJB025210209
REVIEW ARTICLE
Early Access

3D bioprinting for human-relevant toxicology: Advanced organ models and translational strategies

Yinpeng Le1,2 Tanqing Long2,4 Qi Wang2 Mengcheng Tang1 Mingyue Pan2,6 Qingru Song2,5 Wenrui Ma5 Yuxin Su2 Yutian Feng2 Ni An5 Wenzhen Yin5 Xiangdong Kong1* Yunfang Wang2,3,5* Juan Liu2,3*
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1 Zhejiang- Mauritius Joint Research Center for Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Zhejiang Sci-Tech University, Hangzhou 310018, China
2 Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Center, Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital, School of Clinical Medicine, Tsinghua Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing 102218, China
3 Key Laboratory of Digital Intelligence Hepatology, Ministry of Education, School of Clinical Medicine, Tsinghua Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing 102218, China
4 School of Pharmacy, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan 430030, China
5 Clinical Translational Science Center, Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital, School of Clinical Medicine, Tsinghua Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing 102218, China
6 State Key Laboratory of Natural Medicines and Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Drug Discovery for Metabolic Diseases, Center of Advanced Pharmaceuticals and Biomaterials, China Pharmaceutical University, Nanjing 210009, China.
Received: 21 May 2025 | Accepted: 3 July 2025 | Published online: 3 July 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

Traditional toxicological testing, which relies on animal models and 2D cell cultures, encounters challenges in accurately predicting human-specific responses owing to interspecies variability and the oversimplified nature of in vitro systems. Three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting has emerged as a transformative approach, facilitating the fabrication of physiologically relevant tissue constructs with precise spatial control over cellular and extracellular matrix components. This review critically examines recent advancements in 3D-bioprinted organ models, such as those of the liver, kidney, and lung, for toxicological assessments, including their applications in drug safety evaluation, environmental pollutant screening, and nanomaterial risk assessment. We further analyze persistent technical barriers concerning resolution limitations, material biocompatibility, and the simulation of multi-organ interactions. Finally, we propose integrative strategies that combine organ-on-a-chip platforms, artificial intelligence-driven design, and standardized validation protocols, aiming to accelerate the translational potential of bioprinted models in regulatory toxicology.

Keywords
3D bioprinting
Functional simulation
Organ models
Toxicology testing
Funding
This project was supported in part by grants from the following sources: National Key Research and Development Program of China (No. 2022YFA1103400, 2022YFC2406704), National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 32371477, 82090051, 92168207) and Research & Development Program of Zhejiang Province (No. 2024C03075 and No. 2019C04020).
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that 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