Article Oriented micropore-forming bioinks for 3D bioprinting of muscle tissues

Debabrata Palai (Osaka University) ; Hana Yasue (Research Center for Macromolecules and Biomaterials/Biomaterials Field/Polymeric Biomaterials Group, National Institute for Materials Science) ; Miho Ohta (Research Center for Macromolecules and Biomaterials/Biomaterials Field/Polymeric Biomaterials Group, National Institute for Materials Science) ; Koichiro Uto SAMURAI ORCID (Research Center for Macromolecules and Biomaterials/Biomaterials Field/Smart Polymers Group, National Institute for Materials Science) ; Tetsushi Taguchi SAMURAI ORCID (Research Center for Macromolecules and Biomaterials/Biomaterials Field/Polymeric Biomaterials Group, National Institute for Materials Science) ; Akihiro Nishiguchi SAMURAI ORCID (Research Center for Macromolecules and Biomaterials/Biomaterials Field/Polymeric Biomaterials Group, National Institute for Materials Science)

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Debabrata Palai, Hana Yasue, Miho Ohta, Koichiro Uto, Tetsushi Taguchi, Akihiro Nishiguchi. Oriented micropore-forming bioinks for 3D bioprinting of muscle tissues. Small. 2026, (), . https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.202509439

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(abstract)

Three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting provides a wide avenue for designing complex and customized constructs for regenerative medicine. Bioink formulations in 3D bioprinting usually lack micrometer-sized and interconnected pores for the supply of nutrients and oxygen and biological communications with host tissues, thus limiting cellular activities and therapeutic efficacy. Herein, we present microfibrous pore-forming bioinks for fabricating microporous hydrogels that encapsulate cells for muscle tissue reconstruction. Using phase separation technology, a liquid porogen was embedded into gelatin-based bioinks to form microfibrous structures. Printing bioinks with shear stress enabled the orientation of microfibrous pores along the printing direction, which facilitated the orientation of printed cells and enhanced myoblast differentiation. Moreover, the porous 3D scaffold exhibited promising results in terms of supplying nutrients and oxygen to improve cell survival. Printed tissue constructs were successfully transplanted into muscle tissue defects. This approach holds immense potential for creating anisotropic oriented 3D tissue constructs for applications in cell transplantation, drug screening, and disease modelling.

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    This is the pre-peer reviewed version of the following article: D. Palai, H. Yasue, M. Ohta, K. Uto, T. Taguchi, and A. Nishiguchi, “ Oriented Micropore-Forming Bioinks for 3D Bioprinting of Muscle Tissues.” Small (2026): e09439, which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.202509439. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versions.

Keyword: 3D printing, phase separation, hydrogel

Date published: 2026-01-05

Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell

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Manuscript type: Author's version (Submitted manuscript)

MDR DOI: https://doi.org/10.48505/nims.6101

First published URL: https://doi.org/10.1002/smll.202509439

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Updated at: 2026-01-06 09:18:28 +0900

Published on MDR: 2026-01-06 12:19:30 +0900

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