Alginate-silk fibroin Bioink : A printable hydrogel for tissue engineering

Bioink design is a big challenge in bioprinting of functional tissues. Bioink serves as extracellular matrix providing structural support and guiding growth and development of tissue. Alginate (SA) and silk fibroin (SF) have been used to create hydrogels due to their excellent biocompatibility and biodegradability. In this study, we investigated printability and cell compatibility of alginate-silk fibroin hydrogels for bioprinting. Different concentrations of SA-SF solution were tested for printability by pushing the mixture through needle and syringe. For Cell compatibility study, osteosarcoma were encapsulated in SA-SF hydrogel, determined cell viability using Live/dead and PrestoBlue™ assay. SA-SF hydrogel containing 1%(w/v) sodium alginate and 2% (w/v) silk fibroin successfully formed uniform strands and supported cell viability. The hydrogel was easy to control mechanical properties by adjusting SA and SF concentrations which could be a tool for studies integrity, printability and mass transport of hydrogels. We demonstrated SA-SF hydrogels has great potential as bioink for use in bioprinter.