A team of researchers fromNagoya City University, Japan, has developed a new type of 3D bioprinted drug delivery system, leveraging fish gelatin. The gelatin is the core component of their newly developed polymer hydrogel, which can be used to fabricate an implantable patch. In this case, the team loaded the patch with PEGylated Liposomal Doxorubicin, a drug used for cancer treatment, citing great potential in localized nanomedicine delivery.
抗癌药的心脏毒性
Anticancer drugs, such as doxorubicin (DOX), often exhibit serious and irreversible cardiotoxic effects when applied in their natural state. For this reason, biocompatible lipid capsules called liposomes are used as drug carriers, significantly reducing these cardiotoxic effects. Liposomes also have the effect of extending the drug’s circulation time in the bloodstream, allowing the active agents to accumulate in cancer tissue. This is what the PEGylated Liposomal Doxorubicin used in the study is – a liposome wrapped doxorubicin package typically used for breast cancer, bladder cancer, and leukemia.
The targeted local delivery of DOX is a much-researched topic and almost a field in and of itself. There are already a number of different ways currently used in medicine, including cast implants and injectable implants, but the Nagoya scientists saw the potential of 3D printing for the application.
鱼明胶斑块
该团队使用半固体挤出型生物生产商打印三种不同的贴片形状 - 圆柱体，圆环（甜甜圈）和网状线。所使用的水凝胶含有半合成聚合物，主要成分是鱼明胶。动物的选择源于鱼类明胶相对成本效益，并且往往与任何个人或宗教信仰发生冲突。一旦制造出来，贴片就装有DOX化合物，并且团队必须努力确定其释放率。
释放测试是在体内进行的，结果表明网格线最适合持续释放装置。最初，团队遇到了一些明胶粘度极低的问题，但这是通过添加的补救措施来解决的。carboxymethyl cellulose sodium, a pharmaceutical excipient.
由于这些贴片也具有光敏的成分，因此研究人员发现他们可以以不同的紫外线曝光时间来控制释放率。具体而言，随着紫外线暴露的增加，DOX释放率降低，DOX的总释放限制为较低的百分比。团队得出结论，他们的工作可以用作概念验证，并进一步发展使该技术能够在临床环境中使用。
Further details of the study can be found in the paper titled ‘Fabrication of 3D-Printed Fish-Gelatin-Based Polymer Hydrogel Patches for Local Delivery of PEGylated Liposomal Doxorubicin’. It is co-authored by Jin Liu, Tatsuaki Tagami, and Tetsuya Ozeki.
The 3D printing of medical implants has really started taking off in recent years. Earlier this year, a team of来自Tsinghua University，北京，3D打印了个性化的cervix tissue implant抵消人乳头瘤病毒（HPV）。通过用抗HPV蛋白加载聚氨酯植入物的多孔结构，该团队能够缓慢释放蛋白质并抑制感染部位的HPV生长。
Elsewhere, researchers successfully combatedE. coli with a 3D printed multi-drug delivery device. The printed structure comprises a core and a shell, each able to hold a different drug and deliver it to a different section of the gastrointestinal system. The researchers believe their work could have extensive applications in probiotics.
The nominations for the2020 3D Printing Industry Awards现在打开。您认为谁应该成为今年演出的入围名单？现在有你的发言权。
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Featured image shows the 3D bioprinted patches. Photo via Nagoya City University.
