Tropoelastin enhances vascularization in printable protein hydrogels

Information from the abstract

Vascularization remains a critical challenge in soft tissue engineering. In this study, we developed a protein-based hydrogel platform composed of silk fibroin and tyramine-modified gelatin and investigated the effect of tropoelastin incorporation on vascularization. When cast into 3D structures, the hydrogel supported fibroblast viability and promoted endothelial tube formation, particularly when neonatal human dermal fibroblasts were co-cultured within the matrix. Incorporation of tropoelastin at a relatively low concentration of 50 μg/mL further promoted fibroblast growth and enhanced neovascularization in vivo without increasing excessive fibrotic response. Building on these findings, extrusion-based freeform bioprinting was used to fabricate cell-laden hydrogel constructs in 3D shapes. The low-viscosity bioinks enabled gentle processing under physiological conditions while preserving cell functionality. Overall, this study demonstrates that tropoelastin incorporation enhances vascularization in a printable hydrogel with tissue-mimicking mechanics and supports the use of these protein matrices to promote early vascularization in engineered tissue constructs. Vascularization is a key challenge in soft tissue engineering. Here, the authors developed a printable protein-based hydrogel in which tropoelastin enhanced fibroblast growth and vascularization, demonstrating potential for vascularized tissue engineering.

Why this record is monitored

This record has an Impact Signal of 70/100 based on recency, source, collaboration, and bibliographic signals. It prioritizes monitoring and is not a judgment of research quality.

Related topics: 3D Printing in Biomedical Research · Silk-based biomaterials and applications · Electrospun Nanofibers in Biomedical Applications