3D printing electrospinning fiber-reinforced decellularized extracellular matrix for cartilage regeneration

Cartilage decellularized matrix (CDM) is considered a promising biomaterial for fabricating cartilage tissue engineering scaffolds. An ideal CDM-based scaffold should possess customizable 3D shape for complex tissue regeneration and proper pore size for cell infiltration , as well as provide mechanical support for cell growth. 3D printing is an efficiently technique for preparing customizable 3D scaffolds, however, fabricating CDM-based 3D-printed scaffolds with customizable shapes, proper pore structure and satisfactory mechanical properties remains a challenge. In the current study, to achieve customizable CDM-based 3D scaffolds, CDM was successfully processed into inks suitable for 3D printing. Further, the poor mechanics of CDM-based scaffolds were significantly improved by adding electrospinning fiber into the CDM-based inks for 3D printing. Importantly, the 3D-printed electrospinning fiber-reinforced CDM-based scaffold presented good biocompatibility and can enhance repair articular cartilage defects in rabbits. The current study provides a novel strategy for printing electrospinning fiber-reinforced CDM-based scaffolds for tissue regeneration.