Three-Dimensional Bioprinting of Biocompatible Photosensitive Polymers for Tissue Engineering Application

Impact statementThe main goal of this review article is to present recent developments in utilizing light-based or light-assisted three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting for tissue engineering applications. In this study, we discuss several 3D printing technologies, materials (photopolymerizable hydrogels), and photoinitiators, which are key factors to consider when utilizing photoinduced polymerization to engineer tissues or organs in vitro. Three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting, or additive manufacturing, is a rapid fabrication technique with the foremost objective of creating biomimetic tissue and organ replacements in hopes of restoring normal tissue function and structure. Generating the engineered organs with an infrastructure that is similar to that of the real organs can be beneficial to simulate the functional organs that work inside our bodies. Photopolymerization-based 3D bioprinting, or photocuring, has emerged as a promising method in engineering biomimetic tissues due to its simplicity, and noninvasive and spatially controllable approach. In this review, we investigated types of 3D printers, mainstream materials, photoinitiators, phototoxicity, and selected tissue engineering applications of 3D photopolymerization bioprinting.