National Engineering Research Center for Tissue Restoration and Reconstruction, Guangdong 510006, China
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DOI:
10.7502/j.issn.1674-3962.2015.03.06
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Abstract:
For tissue engineering, the combined actions of seeding cells, matrix and bioactive factors determine the eventual performance of the implant. Organ or tissue printing, a novel approach in tissue engineering, creates layered, biofactors (including cells and other bioactive stimuli)-laden hydrogel scaffolds with a defined three-dimensional (3D) structure and organized biofactors placement, which is seen as a great promise. To this end, hydrogels represent to be the most promising materials for bioprinting because of their high water content, excellent cytocompatibility and tunable biodegradability. On the other hand, rapid prototyping (RP) techniques have become a powerful tool to produce a scaffold of the desired shape and internal structure with encapsulation of multiple living cell types or other biofactors, such as growth factors and genes. However, not all kinds of RP techniques are suitable for generation of hydrogel scaffolds or cell encapsulation. Therefore, in this review, we give a brief summary of different rapid prototyping techniques suitable for the production of hydrogel scaffolds. Each technique was further discussed in terms of the different hydrogels used. One major limitation has yet to be addressed is that the poor mechanical strength of hydrogel scaffolds. This problem and probable solution are also discussed in this review paper.