Visible Light-Induced 3D Bioprinting Technologies and Corresponding Bioink Materials for Tissue Engineering: A Review
Zizhuo Zheng,
David Eglin,
Mauro Alini,
Geoff R. Richards,
Ling Qin,
Yuxiao Lai
Affiliations
Zizhuo Zheng
Centre for Translational Medicine Research and Development, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China; Key Laboratory of Health Informatics, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China
David Eglin
AO Research Institute, Davos CH-7270, Switzerland
Mauro Alini
AO Research Institute, Davos CH-7270, Switzerland
Geoff R. Richards
AO Research Institute, Davos CH-7270, Switzerland
Ling Qin
Centre for Translational Medicine Research and Development, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China; Musculoskeletal Research Laboratory, Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, China
Yuxiao Lai
Centre for Translational Medicine Research and Development, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China; Key Laboratory of Health Informatics, Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen 518055, China; Guangdong Engineering Laboratory of Biomaterials Additive Manufacturing, Shenzhen 518055, China; Corresponding author.
Three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting based on traditional 3D printing is an emerging technology that is used to precisely assemble biocompatible materials and cells or bioactive factors into advanced tissue engineering solutions. Similar technology, particularly photo-cured bioprinting strategies, plays an important role in the field of tissue engineering research. The successful implementation of 3D bioprinting is based on the properties of photopolymerized materials. Photocrosslinkable hydrogel is an attractive biomaterial that is polymerized rapidly and enables process control in space and time. Photopolymerization is frequently initiated by ultraviolet (UV) or visible light. However, UV light may cause cell damage and thereby, affect cell viability. Thus, visible light is considered to be more biocompatible than UV light for bioprinting. In this review, we provide an overview of photo curing-based bioprinting technologies, and describe a visible light crosslinkable bioink, including its crosslinking mechanisms, types of visible light initiator, and biomedical applications. We also discuss existing challenges and prospects of visible light-induced 3D bioprinting devices and hydrogels in biomedical areas.
