AccScience Publishing / IJB / Online First / DOI: 10.36922/IJB025480497
RESEARCH ARTICLE

A visible light-crosslinkable decellularized kidney matrix bioink for 3D bioprinting of organoids and drug testing

Wenqi Hu1,2† Guohua Wu3 Mengjiao Xia6 Di Wu4,5 Qijun Du1,2,6 Qinrui Lu1,2 Jiashu Wang1,2 Ao Xie1,2 Chenwei Sun1,2 Haijie Hu7 Litian Zhao1,2 Zipeng Yao1,2,6†* Shuqi Wang1,2,6,8
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1 College of Biomedical Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
2 National Engineering Research Center for Biomaterials, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
3 Luoyang Key Laboratory of Clinical Multiomics and Translational Medicine, Henan Key Laboratory of Rare Diseases, Endocrinology and Metabolism Center, The First Affiliated Hospital and College of Clinical Medicine, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, Henan, China
4 Henan Key Laboratory of Rare Diseases, Endocrinology and Metabolism Center, The First Affiliated Hospital and College of Clinical Medicine, Henan University of Science and Technology, Luoyang, Henan, China
5 Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
6 State Key Laboratory of Respiratory Health and Multimorbidity, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
7 Division of Biliary Surgery, Department of General Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
8 Clinical Research Center for Respiratory Disease, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
†These authors contributed equally to this work.
Received: 27 November 2025 | Accepted: 15 December 2025 | Published online: 19 December 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/ )
Abstract

Decellularized kidney extracellular matrix (DKM) is an acellular scaffold rich in structural proteins and glycosaminoglycans that can promote tissue regeneration and support organoid culture. Porcine-derived DKM contains abundant extracellular matrix (ECM) components, such as collagen, laminin, and fibronectin, and offers native biochemical cues. However, conventional decellularized ECM hydrogels often exhibit weak mechanical properties, poor printability, and slow gelation, limiting their use in high-throughput applications. Here, we report a visible-light-mediated crosslinking strategy for rapid gelation of DKM based on a tris(2,2’-bipyridyl) ruthenium (II) chloride hexahydrate/sodium persulfate (Ru/SPS) photoinitiator system. Illumination at 405 nm (30 mW/cm2) in the presence of Ru/SPS achieves gelation in about 40 s, yielding a composite DKM–Ru/SPS bioink with tunable modulus by adjusting DKM, Ru, and SPS concentrations. High-fidelity 3D constructs were produced by extrusion bioprinting using a representative formulation (15 mg/mL DKM, 0.25 mM Ru, 2.5 mM SPS). As proof of concept, organoids encapsulated in the DKM–Ru/SPS bioink exhibited viability, proliferation, and lineage marker expression during culture. This work demonstrates a rapid, cell-compatible photocrosslinking approach for DKM–Ru/SPS that integrates organoid culture with 3D bioprinting and drug testing, supporting its potential use as a standardized bioink in tissue engineering and functional screening.

 

Graphical abstract
Keywords
3D bioprinting
Decellularized kidney matrix
Drug screening
Organoid culture
Visible-light-crosslinkable
Funding
The authors acknowledge the financial support from the National Key Research and Development Program of China (Nos. 2022YFA1105200 and 2022YFB3804700), the Central Government Guiding Local Science and Technology Development Special Fund Projects in Sichuan Province (No. 2023ZYD0166), the Chengdu City Science and Technology Project of “Unveiling and Commanding” (No. 2024-JB00-00018-GX), and the Eastern New District of Chengdu for the Implementation of Technological Innovation Projects (No. 2024-DBXQ-KJYF002).
Conflict of interest
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
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International Journal of Bioprinting, Electronic ISSN: 2424-8002 Print ISSN: 2424-7723, Published by AccScience Publishing