Bioprinting of bioactive tissue scaffolds from ecologically-destructive fouling tunicates

Bioprinting of Human Neural Tissues Using a Sustainable Marine Tunicate-Derived Bioink for Translational Medicine Applications

“…To design a cell-specific bioink for neural tissues, the key factors considered in this study were the type of cells and the choice of biomaterials used. The tunicate tissue majorly composed of biocompatible and biodegradable cellulose[ 23 , 26 ]. The decellularization process of the tunicate tissue could yield clean, transparent looking scaffolds with natural pores, in which we hypothesized would aid in the cell adherence and proliferation.…”

“…The decellularization process of the tunicate tissue could yield clean, transparent looking scaffolds with natural pores, in which we hypothesized would aid in the cell adherence and proliferation. Since the stem cells are sensitive to many intrinsic and extrinsic factors for growth such as matrix coating and cell seeding density, the cytocompatibility of these scaffolds was initially tested using MEFs[ 23 ]. The scaffolds offered good cytocompatibility and growth of MEFs.…”

“…The tunic tissue pieces were stirred in decellularization buffer consisting of 10 mM Tris, 1 mM of ethylenediamine tetra acetic acid (EDTA), 0.2% v/v of Triton X-100, and 1.5% of sodium dodecyl sulfate, at a pH of 7.5 for 48 h. The buffer was changed every 2 h until 10 h. Detailed description on the tunicate material and the decellularization process are described by Govindharaj et al . [ 23 ] Cellular debris was removed by washing with deionized water after 10 h. The decellularized tissue pieces were cut into dimensions of 1 cm × 1 cm × ~0.1 cm for NSC seeding for cytocompatibility, proliferation, and differentiation studies.…”

“…We hypothesized that the tunicate dECM would support neural tissue engineering as they also are conductive tissues like cardiac patches[ 22 ]. Previously, our laboratory has reported the biocompatibility of tunicate-derived hydrogels for bioprinting mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) and as a wound dressing material[ 23 ]. This work is an advancement to use the marine tunicate-based bioink to 3D bioprint NSCs and its differentiation into PNs.…”

Chemical compositions and nutritional profiles of two edible tunicate species (Halocynthia roretzi and Halocynthia aurantium)

“…They are prone to settle on solid substances. They are regarded as major aquatic invasive species, which could compete with shellfish to occupy the surface and reduce aquaculture production, thus leading to deleterious problems in marine ecosystems and food chains for human beings [ 1 ]. There are more than 2300 tunicate species worldwide.…”