Nasal cartilage regeneration by procondrogenic 3D bio-printed structurea strategy to improve regeneration

Resumen

Introduction: 3D bioprinting represents a great advance in the area of tissue regeneration for the treatment of different problems in the clinical and surgical setting, such as those related to lack of cartilage as in nasal septal defects. Materials and methods: primary rabbit chondrocytes were isolated and included in a 3D-printed polycaprolactone (PCL) scaffold to form 3D-bioprinted scaffolds for nasal septal cartilage tissue engineering. The scaffolds were cultured in vitro under chondrogenic or prochondrogenic conditions in normoxia and hypoxia respectively, for 21 days and then implanted into a subperichondrial pocket of a rabbit¿s ear for an additional period of 8 weeks before sacrifice. Then, the scaffolds were subjected to histological, immunohistochemical, mechanical, and biochemical analysis.Results: Successful production of cartilage was achieved using chondrocytes enriched scaffolds after 21 days of co-culture of the scaffold under prochondrogenic conditions. Histology demonstrated cartilage growth for all experimental ratios at the post¿in vivo time point confirmed with type II collagen immunohistochemistry. Also, a high expression of glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), DNA and collagen I, II and X was confirmed.Conclusion: here we present a successful method for tissue-engineering to regenerate hyaline nasal septal cartilage through a of 3D bioprinting approach.