Effect of hydroxyapatite nanoparticles in an alginate-gelatin bioink for bone tissue engineering applications

3D bioprinting utilises a 3D printing technique with the addition of cells within the printed construct. It has grown rapidly, in recent years, with many applications in cartilage and bone formation while testing a plethora of material-candidates for a specific application. Some well-studied candidates are blends of Alginate - Gelatin (Alg - Gel) which provide excellent printability and biocompatibility though there is little research on a blend of Alg - Gel with nanohydroxyapatite particles (nHA). In this work, six blends of 7% w/v Alg - 8% w/v Gel with varying percentage of nHa from 0% to 5% were studied through their printing accuracy, their printability using rheological studies and their water content and the effect of the addition of nHA particles was assessed. An optimal blend was chosen by these factors and was studied further by conducting a cell viability test.3D bioprinting utilises a 3D printing technique with the addition of cells within the printed construct. It has grown rapidly, in recent years, with many applications in cartilage and bone formation while testing a plethora of material-candidates for a specific application. Some well-studied candidates are blends of Alginate - Gelatin (Alg - Gel) which provide excellent printability and biocompatibility though there is little research on a blend of Alg - Gel with nanohydroxyapatite particles (nHA). In this work, six blends of 7% w/v Alg - 8% w/v Gel with varying percentage of nHa from 0% to 5% were studied through their printing accuracy, their printability using rheological studies and their water content and the effect of the addition of nHA particles was assessed. An optimal blend was chosen by these factors and was studied further by conducting a cell viability test