International journal of biological macromoleculesOct 21, 2025

3D-Printed Collagen Scaffold with Gradients for Joint Cartilage and Bone Repair

Regenerative Health Weekly Brief ↗PubMed ↗DOI ↗

Updated Jan 7, 2026

Abstract

BioGraOstO implants achieved near-complete restoration of cartilage and subchondral bone within 12 weeks in a rat osteochondral defect model.

A digital light processing (DLP)-based 3D bioprinted scaffold was developed for creating osteochondral organoids with graded structures.
Three types of bioinks were engineered to mimic native osteochondral zones, including hyaline cartilage and calcified cartilage.
The multilayered constructs exhibited a modulus ranging from 1.35-17.29 kPa, minimal swelling of less than 10%, and programmable biodegradation over 15 days.
In vitro studies demonstrated that the organoids supported specific differentiation of bone marrow-derived stem cells into cartilage and bone.
BioGraOstO outperformed acellular scaffolds in promoting tissue regeneration, indicating potential clinical applications for joint repair.

Simplified

Osteochondral defects pose a significant clinical challenge, requiring the regeneration of both articular cartilage and subchondral bone across a continuous gradient of composition and mechanical properties. Here, we present BioGraOstO, a digital light processing (DLP)-based 3D bioprinted scaffold for constructing biomimetic osteochondral organoids with precisely graded architectures. Three photo-crosslinkable, cell-laden bioinks were engineered to emulate native osteochondral zones: methacrylated type II collagen and hyaluronic acid for hyaline cartilage (HyaC); 30 % mineralized methacrylated type I collagen for calcified cartilage (CalC); and 60 % mineralized methacrylated type I collagen and hyaluronic acid for subchondral bone (SubB). Sequential DLP bioprinting produced multilayered constructs with well-integrated organic-inorganic interfaces, a modulus spanning 1.35-17.29 kPa, minimal swelling (<10 %), and programmable biodegradation over 15 days. The organoids supported region-specific chondrogenic and osteogenic differentiation of bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) in vitro, confirmed by histology, immunofluorescence, and gene expression. In a rat osteochondral defect model, BioGraOstO implants achieved near-complete restoration of cartilage and subchondral bone within 12 weeks, significantly outperforming acellular scaffolds. This study establishes a versatile and clinically translatable strategy for osteochondral regeneration, leveraging high-resolution DLP bioprinting, graded biomimetic bioinks, and integrated organoid functionality, offering a promising approach for joint repair and next-generation tissue engineering.

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Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

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3D-Printed Collagen Scaffold with Gradients for Joint Cartilage and Bone Repair

Abstract

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