AccScience Publishing / IJB / Online First / DOI: 10.36922/ijb.8557
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RESEARCH ARTICLE

3D-printed GelMA/SA/CMCS hydrogel scaffolds containing Cynomorium songaricum polysaccharide for critical bone defect repair

Dongdong Li1,2† ,  Chengxin Ruan3† ,  Zhiyuan Luo3† ,  Jiale Jin3 ,  Dongyu Wang3 ,  Yiqi Yang3 ,  Shenghu Zhou1,2* ,  Shuai Li3* ,  Pengfei Lei3*
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1 Department of Joint Surgery, The 940th Hospital of Joint Logistic Support Force of Chinese People’s Liberation Army, Lanzhou, Gansu, China.
2 First School of Clinical Medicine, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan, Ningxia, China.
3 Department of Orthopedic Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.
†These authors contributed equally to this work.
IJB, 8557 https://doi.org/10.36922/ijb.8557
Received: 16 January 2025 | Accepted: 14 April 2025 | Published online: 14 April 2025
© 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

Critical bone defect repair remains a major challenge in orthopedics. Cynomorium songaricum polysaccharide (CSP), derived from the traditional medicinal plant Cynomorium songaricum Rupr. in China, demonstrates excellent anti-inflammatory and osteogenic properties. Given these promising biological activities, we developed a novel therapeutic approach using a hydrogel composite scaffold incorporating CSP (GAC-C) for treating critical-sized bone defects. The composite scaffold was fabricated by embedding CSP into a methacrylated gelatin (GelMA)/sodium alginate (SA)/carboxymethyl chitosan (CMCS) blend via three-dimensional (3D) printing technology. The structural, mechanical, and biological properties of GAC-C were characterized, and osteogenic performance was evaluated both in vitro with rat bone marrow stromal cells (rBMSCs) and in vivo using a critical-sized bone defect model. Results indicated that the GAC-C scaffold demonstrated excellent biocompatibility, promoted osteogenic differentiation of rBMSCs, and enhanced bone integration and repair. Thus, the GAC-C scaffold has the potential for effectively repairing critical-sized bone defects.

Graphical abstract
Keywords
3D-printed hydrogel
Critical bone defect
Cynomorium songaricum polysaccharide
Osteogenic differentiation
Funding
This work was financially supported by the Key Research and Development Program - Social Development Field(25YFFA064) the Natural Science Foundation Exploration Project of Zhejiang Province (LY23H060012), and the Zhejiang Provincial Medical and Health Science and Technology Plan (2024KY986).
Conflict of interest
The authors declared 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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