Harnessing native blueprints for designing bioinks to bioprint functional cardiac tissue

Area of Science:

• Biomedical Engineering
• Regenerative Medicine
• Materials Science

Background:

• Cardiac tissue regeneration is limited, necessitating heart transplantation for end-stage heart failure.
• Three-dimensional bioprinting (3DBP) of cardiac tissues presents a promising alternative to transplantation.
• Current challenges in cardiac tissue engineering (CTE) involve replicating native tissue complexity and function.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the critical role of bioink properties in CTE.
• To explore the influence of rheological and electromechanical characteristics of bioinks on cardiac construct development.
• To highlight the importance of the cardiac microenvironment in designing functional engineered cardiac tissues.

Main Methods:

• Review of rheological and electromechanical properties of cardiac bioinks.
• Analysis of the cardiac microenvironment's role in tissue engineering.
• Focus on optimizing bioink characteristics for improved printability and functionality.

Main Results:

• Bioink properties must closely mimic the native extracellular matrix (ECM) to avoid pathological effects.
• Understanding bioink rheology and electromechanical behavior is essential for successful CTE.
• Spatial organization and cellular diversity are key factors in functional cardiac construct design.

Conclusions:

• Advanced cardiac bioinks are necessary for successful 3DBP of cardiac tissues.
• Optimizing bioink properties and replicating the cardiac microenvironment are critical for CTE.
• This review provides insights for developing novel bioinks tailored for cardiac tissue engineering.