Recent advances in bioprinting using silk protein-based bioinks.

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Regenerative Medicine
• Tissue Engineering
• 3D Bioprinting

Background:

• 3D bioprinting is rapidly advancing for regenerative medicine and tissue engineering applications.
• A key limitation is the scarcity of bioinks with suitable printing properties, print fidelity, and cytocompatibility.
• Silk Fibroin (SF) offers unique properties for bioink development, including tunable mechanical characteristics and cytocompatibility.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review recent advancements and identify needs for using Silk Fibroin (SF) as a bioink in 3D bioprinting.
• To discuss SF-based bioink crosslinking, cell viability, and differentiation for tissue regeneration.
• To explore emerging SF-based 3D printing applications and future perspectives.

Main Methods:

• Review of recent literature on Silk Fibroin (SF) in 3D bioprinting.
• Discussion of crosslinking strategies for SF bioinks in extrusion bioprinting.
• Analysis of cell viability and differentiation within SF-based 3D bioprinted constructs.

Main Results:

• Silk Fibroin (SF) demonstrates versatility as a bioink for printing complex structures with tunable properties.
• SF bioinks support cell viability during and after bioprinting, enabling differentiation into various cell lineages (skin, cartilage, bone).
• Emerging applications include magnetically decorated hydrogels, in situ bioprinting, and 4D bioprinting.

Conclusions:

• Silk Fibroin (SF) is a promising biomaterial for developing advanced bioinks in 3D bioprinting.
• SF-based constructs facilitate tissue regeneration through encapsulated cell differentiation.
• Future research should focus on improved printing strategies and multicomponent bioinks for enhanced print fidelity.