TY  - JOUR
A1  - Hauptstein, Julia
A1  - Forster, Leonard
A1  - Nadernezhad, Ali
A1  - Groll, Jürgen
A1  - Teßmar, Jörg
A1  - Blunk, Torsten
T1  - Tethered TGF-β1 in a hyaluronic acid-based bioink for bioprinting cartilaginous tissues
T2  - International Journal of Molecular Sciences
N2  - In 3D bioprinting for cartilage regeneration, bioinks that support chondrogenic development are of key importance. Growth factors covalently bound in non-printable hydrogels have been shown to effectively promote chondrogenesis. However, studies that investigate the functionality of tethered growth factors within 3D printable bioinks are still lacking. Therefore, in this study, we established a dual-stage crosslinked hyaluronic acid-based bioink that enabled covalent tethering of transforming growth factor-beta 1 (TGF-β1). Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) were cultured over three weeks in vitro, and chondrogenic differentiation of MSCs within bioink constructs with tethered TGF-β1 was markedly enhanced, as compared to constructs with non-covalently incorporated TGF-β1. This was substantiated with regard to early TGF-β1 signaling, chondrogenic gene expression, qualitative and quantitative ECM deposition and distribution, and resulting construct stiffness. Furthermore, it was successfully demonstrated, in a comparative analysis of cast and printed bioinks, that covalently tethered TGF-β1 maintained its functionality after 3D printing. Taken together, the presented ink composition enabled the generation of high-quality cartilaginous tissues without the need for continuous exogenous growth factor supply and, thus, bears great potential for future investigation towards cartilage regeneration. Furthermore, growth factor tethering within bioinks, potentially leading to superior tissue development, may also be explored for other biofabrication applications.
KW  - biofabrication
KW  - bioink
KW  - chondrogenic differentiation
KW  - dual-stage crosslinking
KW  - hyaluronic acid
KW  - tethering
KW  - transforming growth factor-beta 1
Y1  - 2022
UR  - https://opus.bibliothek.uni-wuerzburg.de/frontdoor/index/index/docId/28423
UR  - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:bvb:20-opus-284239
SN  - 1422-0067
VL  - 23
IS  - 2
ER  -