Gelatin has emerged as a biocompatible polymer with high printability in scaffold-based tissue engineering. The aim of the current study was to investigate the potential of genipin-crosslinked 3D printed gelatin scaffolds for temporomandibular joint (TMJ) cartilage regeneration. Crosslinking with genipin increased the stability and mechanical properties, without any cytotoxic effects. Chondrogenic differentiation of human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hBMSC) on the scaffolds were compared to cell pellets and spheres. Although hBMSC seeded scaffolds showed a lower expression of chondrogenesis-related genes compared to cell pellets and spheres, they demonstrated a significantly reduced expression of collagen (COL) 10, suggesting a decreased hypertrophic tendency. After 21 days, staining with Alcian blue and immunofluorescence for SOX9 and COL1 confirmed the chondrogenic differentiation of hBMSC on genipin-crosslinked gelatin scaffolds. In summary, 3D printed gelatin-genipin scaffolds supported the viability, attachment and chondrogenic differentiation of hBMSC, thus, demonstrating potential for TMJ cartilage regeneration applications.

明胶已成为一种生物相容性聚合物，在基于支架的组织工程中具有高可印刷性。本研究的目的是研究京尼平交联 3D 打印明胶支架在颞下颌关节 (TMJ) 软骨再生中的潜力。与京尼平交联提高了稳定性和机械性能，而没有任何细胞毒性作用。将支架上人骨髓来源的间充质干细胞 (hBMSC) 的软骨分化与细胞颗粒和球体进行了比较。尽管与细胞颗粒和球体相比，hBMSC 接种支架的软骨形成相关基因的表达较低，但它们的胶原蛋白 (COL) 10 的表达显着降低，表明肥大趋势降低。21天后，用阿新蓝染色和 SOX9 和 COL1 的免疫荧光染色证实了 hBMSC 在京尼平交联明胶支架上的软骨分化。总之，3D 打印的明胶-京尼平支架支持 hBMSC 的活力、附着和成软骨分化，因此展示了 TMJ 软骨再生应用的潜力。