3D bioprinting is transforming tissue engineering and regenerative medicine by allowing the production of intricate, cell-filled constructs with precise spatial control. The growing need for biocompatible and structurally resilient scaffolds has sparked the interest in integrating bacterial cellulose (BC) as a component of bioinks for 3D bioprinting, given its unique combination of mechanical robustness, biocompatibility, high water retention capacity, and nanofibrillar architecture. This chapter explores the use of BC as a component of bioinks in hydrogel-based formulations, with the potential to encapsulate cells and biomolecules for bioprinting into biofunctional constructs. The key topics here addressed include the critical design features of bioinks and the influence of the printing parameters on the design’s fidelity and cellular performance. Several bioprinting technologies are reviewed for their compatibility with BC formulations. The chapter also highlights biomedical applications, with an emphasis on bone, cartilage, soft tissue engineering, and antimicrobial scaffold development. It also presents the main findings from in vitro and in vivo studies, demonstrating the promising outcomes in cartilage regeneration and bone repair. While the number of studies on BC bioprinting remains limited, existing evidence strongly support its potential for clinical use. The challenges of BC’s non-degradability, high viscosity and the lack of standardized methods are acknowledged, alongside emerging strategies to address them. The chapter concludes by outlining future directions such as scalable production and long-term in vivo validation.

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3D Bioprinting of Bacterial Cellulose for Biomedical Applications

  • Baneeprajnya Nayak,
  • Fernando Dourado,
  • Mohan Das,
  • Rintu Banerjee

摘要

3D bioprinting is transforming tissue engineering and regenerative medicine by allowing the production of intricate, cell-filled constructs with precise spatial control. The growing need for biocompatible and structurally resilient scaffolds has sparked the interest in integrating bacterial cellulose (BC) as a component of bioinks for 3D bioprinting, given its unique combination of mechanical robustness, biocompatibility, high water retention capacity, and nanofibrillar architecture. This chapter explores the use of BC as a component of bioinks in hydrogel-based formulations, with the potential to encapsulate cells and biomolecules for bioprinting into biofunctional constructs. The key topics here addressed include the critical design features of bioinks and the influence of the printing parameters on the design’s fidelity and cellular performance. Several bioprinting technologies are reviewed for their compatibility with BC formulations. The chapter also highlights biomedical applications, with an emphasis on bone, cartilage, soft tissue engineering, and antimicrobial scaffold development. It also presents the main findings from in vitro and in vivo studies, demonstrating the promising outcomes in cartilage regeneration and bone repair. While the number of studies on BC bioprinting remains limited, existing evidence strongly support its potential for clinical use. The challenges of BC’s non-degradability, high viscosity and the lack of standardized methods are acknowledged, alongside emerging strategies to address them. The chapter concludes by outlining future directions such as scalable production and long-term in vivo validation.