Alginate, hyaluronic acid, and chitosan-based 3D printing hydrogel for cartilage tissue regeneration

The degradation of joint cartilage commonly characterizes osteoarthritis. Among the various therapeutic strategies, three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting has surfaced as an efficacious approach for fabricating cartilage tissue engineering (CTE) scaffolds. This technology enables the precise deposition of specific cell types, bioactive molecules, and structural matrices to construct 3D tissues. Central to bioprinting's effectiveness is bioink, which offers notable printability, biocompatibility, and tunable mechanical properties, essential for mimicking the native cartilage environment. Polysaccharide-based hydrogels, such as alginate, hyaluronic acid, and chitosan, are favored in this domain due to their cost-effectiveness, robust physicochemical properties, and biological functionality that emulate the extracellular matrix. This review discusses the critical role of these polysaccharide-based bioinks and their tailored modifications in advancing CTE applications.