Cells and biomaterials for bioprinting
Tissues and organs are self-organizing systems. During the embryonic
maturation process, cells undergo biological self-assembly and
self-organization without external influence or guiding structures.
[Mironov,2009]. However, in vitro, the cell microenvironment is
dramatically simplified or not exist, therefore, cells fused and slowly
aggregate in a different manner. In bioprinting, biocompatible scaffolds
are usually used as structural support for cells to adhere, proliferate,
differentiate, and eventually to form the tissue. Studies showed that
arrangement of integrins within a scaffold highly influenced stem cell
differentiation [Prowse 2011]. Recapitulating the native environment
of a specific tissue type, promote stem cell differentiation towards
that lineage. The ability to create 3-D tissue structures that contain
various cell types and matrix relies on the integration with compatible
biomaterials (scaffold materials) for supporting the cellular
components. Most cell printing applications adapt the same biomaterials
used in traditional bioengineering with hydrogels are the primary
biomaterials for live cell printing [Murphy et al 2013; VIVIAN K. LEE
and GUOHAO DAI 2016] because they are biocompatible, having low
cytotoxicity and their high water content allows them to acquire a
structural similarity to the extracellular matrix [Markstedt et al
2015, Souza 2018].