Anatomy

Self-healing hydrogels

Biocompatible material

Cell

Nanotechnology

Polymer chemistry

Hyaluronic acid

Biology

Regenerative medicine

Engineering

Biomedical engineering

Regeneration (biology)

Chemistry

Metallurgy

Materials science

Biocompatibility

3D bioprinting

Tissue engineering

Biofabrication

Cell biology

Biochemistry

Medicine

Smart Materials in Medicine

3D bioprinting technology can rapidly process cell-loaded biomaterials to prepare personalized scaffolds for repairing defective tissues, tissue regeneration, and even printing tissues or organs. 3D bioprinting relies on bioinks with appropriate rheology and cytocompatibility, and hydrogels are among the most promising bioink materials for 3D bioprinting. Among many hydrogel precursor materials, hyaluronic acid (HA) stands out due to its excellent physicochemical and biological properties, such as biocompatibility, hydrophilicity, non-immunogenicity, and complete biodegradability, and has become the most attractive hydrogel precursor for bioinks. In this review, we discuss the strategies adopted for the application of HA-based hydrogels as bioinks, including printability, improving their mechanical properties, and printing with loaded cells. Finally, we summarize the application of 3D bioprinted HA-based hydrogels in various tissue engineering applications in recent years, with the aim to provide fresh inspiration for further development of HA-based hydrogels for 3D bioprinting.

Recent advances in hyaluronic acid-based hydrogels for 3D bioprinting in tissue engineering applications