Alginate-Dialdehyde-Based Reporter Ink Enabling Online Detection of Matrix Metalloproteinase Activity of Encapsulated...

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Tissue Engineering
• Biotechnology

Background:

• Biofabrication and 3D bioprinting allow precise cell placement in scaffolds.
• Monitoring cellular activity in real-time is crucial for understanding tissue development and function.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel alginate-based bioink for real-time monitoring of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) activity.
• To create a Förster resonance energy transfer (FRET)-responsive "turn-on" reporter system for MMP detection.

Main Methods:

• Synthesized and characterized three distinct MMP-cleavable peptide reporters.
• Covalently incorporated reporters into alginate dialdehyde (ADA) to create an MMP reporter ink.
• Evaluated reporter ink performance in casted constructs and extrusion-based bioprinted cell grids.

Main Results:

• The ADA reporter ink demonstrated responsiveness to MMP activity from various cell types over time.
• Blending ADA reporter ink with gelatin maintained print resolution and structural integrity.
• Bioprinted cell grids showed a 3-fold increase in MMP activity response at 24 hours.

Conclusions:

• Introduced a versatile, FRET-based alginate bioink platform for real-time MMP activity monitoring.
• The developed bioink expands the toolkit for assessing cellular performance in 3D bioprinted constructs.