Advances in the Research of Bioinks Based on Natural Collagen, Polysaccharide and Their Derivatives for Skin 3D Bioprinting

• Main Authors: Jie Xu, Shuangshuang Zheng, Xueyan Hu, Liying Li, Wenfang Li, Roxanne Parungao, Yiwei Wang, Yi Nie, Tianqing Liu, Kedong Song
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2020-05-01
• Series: Polymers
• Subjects: bioink; skin tissue engineering; 3D bioprinting; wound healing; skin regeneration
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/12/6/1237

The skin plays an important role in protecting the human body, and wound healing must be set in motion immediately following injury or trauma to restore the normal structure and function of skin. The extracellular matrix component of the skin mainly consists of collagen, glycosaminoglycan (GAG), elastin and hyaluronic acid (HA). Recently, natural collagen, polysaccharide and their derivatives such as collagen, gelatin, alginate, chitosan and pectin have been selected as the matrix materials of bioink to construct a functional artificial skin due to their biocompatible and biodegradable properties by 3D bioprinting, which is a revolutionary technology with the potential to transform both research and medical therapeutics. In this review, we outline the current skin bioprinting technologies and the bioink components for skin bioprinting. We also summarize the bioink products practiced in research recently and current challenges to guide future research to develop in a promising direction. While there are challenges regarding currently available skin bioprinting, addressing these issues will facilitate the rapid advancement of 3D skin bioprinting and its ability to mimic the native anatomy and physiology of skin and surrounding tissues in the future.