AccScience Publishing / IJB / Online First / DOI: 10.36922/ijb.8440
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RESEARCH ARTICLE

Optimization of alginate/gelatin/dextran-aldehyde bioink for 3D bioprinting and cell engraftment

Hosub Lim1 ,  Daun Seo2 ,  Kyung Deok Park1 ,  Hye-Eun Shim3 ,  Ji Hye Park3 ,  Eun-Jung Ann3 ,  Junghyun Kim2 ,  Jae Young Lee2* ,  Junhee Lee1* ,  Sun-Woong Kang3,4*
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1 Department of Bionic Machinery, Research Institute of AI Robotics, Korea Institute of Machinery & Materials, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
2 School of Materials Science and Engineering, Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology, Gwangju, Republic of Korea
3 Center for Biomimetic Technology Research, Korea Institute of Toxicology, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
4 School of Korea Institute of Toxicology, University of Science and Technology, Daejeon, Republic of Korea
IJB, 8440 https://doi.org/10.36922/ijb.8440
Submitted: 7 January 2025 | Accepted: 26 March 2025 | Published: 26 March 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioprinting for Tissue Engineering and Modeling)
© 2025 by the Author(s). This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ )
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Abstract

The development of bioinks with optimized printability, mechanical properties, and biocompatibility is critical for advancing three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting and tissue engineering. In this study, we introduce an alginate/gelatin/dextran-aldehyde (AGDA) bioink, designed to balance structural integrity and cellular functionality. Among the tested formulations, AGDA1 demonstrated superior performance, with optimized printability and high cell compatibility. AGDA bioinks involve dual crosslinking (ionic gelation of alginate and Schiff base formation between gelatin and dextran-aldehyde), permitting appropriate stiffness, viscosity, and thixotropic behavior. Fibroblasts encapsulated in AGDA, either as single cells, spheroids, or a combination of both, exhibited high viability and proliferative capacity. Notably, the combination method supported the highest cellular density and fibroblast-specific morphological transformations, surpassing the commercially available GelXA bioink. These findings highlight AGDA’s potential as a versatile bioink for fabricating complex and scalable tissue constructs. In summary, this study contributes to the development of bioinks tailored for enhanced cell engraftment and regenerative applications.

Graphical abstract
Keywords
Bioink
Bioprinting
Dual crosslinking
Spheroid
Tissue engineering
Funding
This research was supported by the Challengeable Future Defense Technology Research and Development Program through the Agency For Defense Development (ADD) funded by the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) in 2024 (No. 915060201).
Conflict of interest
The authors declare they have no competing interests.
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International Journal of Bioprinting, Electronic ISSN: 2424-8002 Print ISSN: 2424-7723, Published by AccScience Publishing
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