A potential dermal substitute using decellularized dermis extracellular matrix derived bio-ink

Abstract

Upon bioprinting, cells are mixed with a biomaterial to fabricate a living tissue, thus emphasizing the importance of biomaterials. The biomaterial used in this study was a bio-ink prepared using skin decellularized extracellular matrix (dECM). Skin dECM was extracted by treating the dermis with chemicals and enzymes; the basic structural and functional proteins of the ECM, including collagen, glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), bioreactive materials and growth factors, were preserved, whereas the resident cells that might cause immune rejection or inflammatory responses were removed. The bio-ink based on dECM powder, together with human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs), was loaded into the nozzle of the 3D bioprinter to create the 3D construct. This construct underwent gelation with changing temperature while its shape was maintained for 7 days. The cells showed over 90% viability and proliferation. By analysing the gene expression pattern in the cells of the construct, the skin regenerative mechanism of the bio-ink was verified. Microarray results confirmed that the gene expression related to skin morphology and development had been enhanced because the bioreactive molecules and growth factors, in addition to residual ECM in dECM, provided an optimal condition for the HDFs.

Keywords:

• dECM
• bio-ink
• 3D bioprinting
• microarray
• tissue regeneration

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This research was partly supported by the Institute for Information & Communications Technology Promotion (IITP) funded by the Korean government (MSIT) under Grant [2017–0-01982], Development of 3D printing based artificial skin model for replacement of animal test and its commercialization; and Korea Institute of Planning and Evaluation for Technology in Food, Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (IPET) through Agri-Bio Industry Technology Development Program of Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA) under Grant [316031–3].