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REVIEW ARTICLE

Bioprinted biomaterials for tendon repair and regeneration: Material systems and functional strategies

Le Gao1† ,  Jinbo Zhang1† ,  Xue Zhao2† ,  Hao Chen1 ,  Weilong Zhang1 ,  Zhidong Liang1 ,  Jincheng Wang1 ,  Qing Han1* ,  Bingpeng Chen1*
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1 Department of Orthopedics, The Second Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin, China
2 Department of Endocrinology and Metabolism, The First Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, Jilin, China
†These authors contributed equally to this work.
IJB, 026200189 https://doi.org/10.36922/IJB026200189
Received: 13 May 2026 | Revised: 21 June 2026 | Accepted: 1 July 2026 | Published online: 2 July 2026
© 2026 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

Tendon injuries often heal slowly because of the limited vascularity, low cellularity, and low metabolic activity of native tendon tissue. Newly formed tendon tissue is frequently characterized by disorganized collagen alignment, reduced mechanical performance, and scar-like remodeling, making it difficult to restore the structure and function of native tendon. Bioprinting enables precise control over material composition, spatial architecture, fiber orientation, and the distribution of cells and bioactive components, thereby providing a promising strategy for functional tendon regeneration. However, tendon is a highly load-bearing and anisotropic tissue, whereas most hydrogel-based bioinks, despite their favorable cytocompatibility and cell-loading capacity, often remain biomechanically weak, with insufficient tensile strength, limited fatigue stability, and inadequate long-term shape fidelity, making them insufficient to independently meet the biomechanical requirements of tendon repair. This review summarizes natural and modified natural bioinks, synthetic reinforcing materials, printed load-bearing frameworks, and inorganic or ion-releasing functional components for tendon bioprinting, with emphasis on printability, biocompatibility, mechanical reinforcement, degradation behavior, and structural stability. We further discuss functional strategies involving structural and topographical modulation, bioactive molecule delivery, immunomodulatory regulation, physical stimulation, and smart responsiveness. Future studies should prioritize multi-material cooperative printing, tendon–bone interface gradient construction, responsive bioink development, long-term in vivo functional evaluation, and translational validation to advance tendon bioprinting materials toward functional regenerative applications.

Graphical abstract
Keywords
Bioprinting
Tendon repair
Bioink
Functionalized scaffolds
Immunomodulation
Funding
This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant numbers 82472460, 82272504, and U23A20523), the Jilin Province Health Talent Specialisation Program (grant number 2024WSZX-C12), the Bethune Plan Project of Jilin University (grant number 2024B33), the Lixin Excellent Young Teacher Training Program of Jilin University (grant number 4190805LX119), and the Key Training Plan for Outstanding Youth of Jilin University (grant number 419070623036), and the Research Fund of the First Hospital of Jilin University (grant number JDYYCB-2023010).
Conflict of interest
Jincheng Wang is an Editorial Board Member of this journal, but was not in any way involved in the editorial and peer-review process conducted for this paper, directly or indirectly. The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have influenced the work reported in this paper.
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International Journal of Bioprinting, Electronic ISSN: 2424-8002 Print ISSN: 2424-7723, Published by AccScience Publishing
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