Advances in 3D bioprinting technology for cardiac tissue engineering and regeneration

Cardiovascular disease is still one of the leading causes of death in the world, and heart transplantation is the current major treatment for end-stage cardiovascular diseases. However, because of the shortage of heart donors, new sources of cardiac regenerative medicine are greatly needed. The prominent development of tissue engineering using bioactive materials has creatively laid a direct promising foundation. Whereas, how to precisely pattern a cardiac structure with complete biological function still requires technological breakthroughs. Recently, the emerging three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting technology for tissue engineering has shown great advantages in generating micro-scale cardiac tissues, which has established its impressive potential as a novel foundation for cardiovascular regeneration. Whether 3D bioprinted hearts can replace traditional heart transplantation as a novel strategy for treating cardiovascular diseases in the future is a frontier issue. In this review article, we emphasize the current knowledge and future perspectives regarding available bioinks, bioprinting strategies and the latest outcome progress in cardiac 3D bioprinting to move this promising medical approach towards potential clinical implementation.
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Highlights • The research progress of 3D bioprinting technology integrating biomaterials with heart cells is systematically reviewed. • The reproduction of both structure and contraction is an indispensable way for perfect heart repair and regeneration. • For the success of cardiac 3D bioprinting, the process flow of bioink should be standardized in an orderly manner. • 3D bioprinting technology is increasing the personalized utilization of biomaterials in cardiac repair and regeneration.