Use of a 3D inkjet‐printed model to access dust particle toxicology in the human alveolar barrier

Abstract

Background: Fine dust particles in the air travel into our body via the airway tract and cause severe respiratory diseases. Thus, the analysis of the effects of dust particles on the respiratory system has been receiving signi cant research interest. However, most studies on the toxicity of dust particles involve two-dimensional (2D) cell cultures, animal models, and epidemiology. Here, we inkjet-printed an threedimensional (3D) alveolar barrier model to study how dust particles cause respiratory diseases. The threelayered in vitro model was exposed to A2 ne test dust with varying concentrations and exposure durations.Results: The results highlighted the destruction of the tissue architecture along with apoptosis in the bioprinted alveolar barrier. The damage at the cellular level induced an increase in the amount of proin ammatory cytokines secreted, followed by triggering of the signal transduction pathway and activation of transcription factors. As a consequence of the release of cytokines, the extracellular matrix was degraded, which led to the collapse of the cell structure, loss of cell polarity, and a decrease in the barrier tightness. Further, the pulmonary surfactant protein-related genes in the dust-treated alveolar tissue were investigated to evaluate the possible role of dust particles in pulmonary surfactant dysfunction.Conclusions: This study demonstrated the use of 3D-printed tissue model to evaluate the physiological impact of ne dust particles on cytotoxicity, alveolar barrier rigidity, and surfactant secretion of an alveolar barrier.

Engineering biomaterials by inkjet printing of hydrogels with functional particulates

“…In addition to the study of diseased tissue, further work was conducted to better understand the behavior of lung tissue in the presence of inhaled debris such as dust. These printed lung tissues were found to exhibit similar behavior to natural alveolar tissue when exposed to these materials, further demonstrating their ability to mimic natural lung tissue [ 70 ].…”

3D Inkjet-Bioprinted Lung-on-a-Chip

“…Detailed information on the inkjet process can be found elsewhere. 37 2.4. Evaluation of Structural Characteristics and Cell Viability.…”

“…Detailed information on tissue printing can be found elsewhere. 37 5.5. Perfusion Culture in the Microfluidic Device.…”

“…Bioprinting is a versatile technology that enables the automated fabrication of complex 3D-structured tissue models. , Computer-assisted deposition of cell-laden bioink enables the 3D fabrication of living tissues in a layer-by-layer manner, which allows high repeatability, reproducibility, and mass production by minimizing human intervention. , Among various bioprinting techniques, drop-on-demand inkjet bioprinting is capable of positioning living mammalian cells with micron resolution by ejecting a picolitre volume of the cell suspension, typically down to a single cell. , Inkjet offers the ability to construct thin and complex tissues layer-by-layer with different cell types by switching bioinks . The high-resolution patterning of living cells by inkjet has been demonstrated in 2D and 3D environments. , To date, bioprinting methods have been used for a wide range of tissues such as skin, , heart, bladder, , and lung. − Most of these studies have cultured bioprinted tissues under static conditions, so integrating with a microfluidic platform is a pivotal future step to mimic the in vivo environment by providing perfused culture conditions. Integrating inkjet bioprinting and the organ-on-a-chip platform has the synergistic potential to achieve a new generation of manufacturable in vitro models with structurally and physiologically more relevant 3D tissues in highly controlled cell–cell and cell-extracellular matrix communication interactions.…”