3D Bioprinting of Living Materials for Structure-Dependent Production of Hyaluronic Acid

3D bioprinting of living materials represents an interesting paradigm toward the efficacy enhancement for the biosynthesis of various functional compounds in microorganisms. Previous studies have shown the success of 3D-printed bioactive systems in the production of small molecular compounds. However, the feasibility of such a strategy in producing macromolecules and how the geometry of the 3D scaffold influences the productivity are still unknown. In this study, we printed a series of 3D gelatin-based hydrogels immobilized with fermentation bacteria that can secrete hyaluronic acid (HA), a very useful natural polysaccharide in the fields of biomedicine and tissue engineering. The 3D-printed bioreactor was capable of producing HA, and an elevated yield was obtained with the system bearing a grid structure compared to that either with a solid structure or in a scaffold-free fermentation condition. As for the grid structure, bioreactors with a 90° strut angel and a median interfilament distance displayed the highest HA yield. Our findings highlighted the significant role of 3D printing in the spatial control of microorganism-laden hydrogel structures for the enhancement of biosynthesis efficiency.