Ma Liang, Wu Yutong, Li Yuting, Aazmi Abdellah, Zhou Hongzhao, Zhang Bin, Yang Huayong
State Key Laboratory of Fluid Power and Mechatronic Systems, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, P. R. China.
School of Mechanical Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310027, P. R. China.
Adv Healthc Mater. 2020 Dec;9(24):e2001517. doi: 10.1002/adhm.202001517. Epub 2020 Oct 19.
The liver, the largest gland in the human body, plays a key role in metabolism, bile production, detoxification, and water and electrolyte regulation. The toxins or drugs that the gastrointestinal system absorbs reach the liver first before entering the bloodstream. Liver disease is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Therefore, an in vitro liver tissue model that reproduces the main functions of the liver can be a reliable platform for investigating liver diseases and developing new drugs. In addition, the limitations in traditional, planar monolayer cell cultures and animal tests for evaluating the toxicity and efficacy of drug candidates can be overcome. Currently, the newly emerging 3D bioprinting technologies have the ability to construct in vitro liver tissue models both in static scaffolds and dynamic liver-on-chip manners. This review mainly focuses on the construction and applications of liver tissue models based on 3D bioprinting. Special attention is given to 3D bioprinting strategies and bioinks for constructing liver tissue models including the cell sources and hydrogel selection. In addition, the main advantages and limitations and the major challenges and future perspectives are discussed, paving the way for the next generation of in vitro liver tissue models.
肝脏是人体最大的腺体，在新陈代谢、胆汁生成、解毒以及水和电解质调节中发挥着关键作用。胃肠道系统吸收的毒素或药物在进入血液循环之前首先到达肝脏。肝脏疾病是全球主要死因之一。因此，能够重现肝脏主要功能的体外肝组织模型可以成为研究肝脏疾病和开发新药的可靠平台。此外，还可以克服传统平面单层细胞培养和动物试验在评估候选药物毒性和疗效方面的局限性。目前，新兴的3D生物打印技术有能力以静态支架和动态芯片肝的方式构建体外肝组织模型。本文综述主要聚焦于基于3D生物打印的肝组织模型的构建及应用。特别关注构建肝组织模型的3D生物打印策略和生物墨水，包括细胞来源和水凝胶选择。此外，还讨论了其主要优点和局限性以及主要挑战和未来前景，为下一代体外肝组织模型铺平道路。
