Bioprinting induced cell damage in cellular micro-fluidic channel fabrication

Bioprinting, or layer by layer additive tissue fabrication, is a revolutionary concept recently emerged as an interdisciplinary effort to produce three-dimensional living organ for clinical application. Among many challenges, it was agreed that inclusion of vascular system is critical for maintaining the viability and functionality of relatively thick 3D bioprinted tissue constructs. Our previous research addressed the printability of novel vessel-like micro-fluidic channels with alginate hydrogel and co-axial nozzles. Here, we further investigated the influence of bioprinting parameters on cartilage progenitor cells (CPCs) survival during and post printing. The results of this study revealed that quantifiable cell death could be induced by varying dispensing pressure, co-axial nozzle geometry, biomaterial concentration. However, damaged cells were able to recover during incubation, as well as undergo proliferation to certain extend. These findings may serve as a guideline for optimizing our system as well as predict cell damage in future studies.