Marine polymers in tissue bioprinting: Current achievements and challenges

Abstract

Bioprinting has a critical role in tissue engineering, allowing the creation of sophisticated cellular scaffolds with high resolution, shape fidelity, and cell viability. Achieving these parameters remains a challenge, necessitating bioinks that are biocompatible, printable, and biodegradable. This review highlights the potential of marine-derived polymers and crosslinking techniques including mammalian collagen and gelatin along with their marine equivalents. While denaturation temperatures vary based on origin, warm-water fish collagen and gelatin emerge as promising solutions. Building on the applications of mammalian collagen and gelatin, this study investigates their marine counterparts. Diverse research groups present different perspectives on printability and cell survival. Despite advances, current scaffolds are limited in size and layers, making applications such as extensive skin burn treatment or tissue regeneration difficult. The authors argue for the development of bioprinting, which includes spherical and adaptive printing. In adaptive printing, layers differentiate and propagate sequentially to overcome the challenges of multilayer printing and provide optimal conditions for the growth of deeply embedded cells. Moving the boundaries of bioprinting, future prospects include transformative applications in regenerative medicine.

Keywords

• bioprinting
• polymers
• marine-derived polymers
• tissue engineering