Tissue engineering is an emergent and very interesting research field, providing potential solutions for a myriad of challenges in healthcare.

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Introduction: Three of the main requirements that remain major challenges in tissue engineering of the knee meniscus are to engineer scaffolds with compatible anatomical shape, good mechanical properties, and microstructure able to mimic the architecture of the extracellular matrix (ECM). In this context, we presented a new biofabrication strategy to develop a three-dimensional (3D) meniscus-regenerative scaffold with custom-made macroscopic size and microarchitecture bioinspired by the organization of structural fibers of native tissue ECM. Methods: The concept was based on the combination of bioprinted cell-laden hydrogel (type 1 collagen) reinforced by multilayers of biomimetically aligned electrospun nanofibrous mats (polycaprolactone/carbon nanotubes, PCL/CNT), using a patient-specific 3D digital meniscus model reconstructed from MRI data by free and open-source software. Results: The results showed that the incorporation of aligned nanofibers sheets between the hydrogel layers enhanced the scaffold’s structural integrity and shape fidelity compared to the nanofiber-free collagen hydrogel. Furthermore, mechanical compression tests demonstrated that the presence of nanofiber layers significantly improved the mechanical properties of the bioprinted construct. Importantly, the introduction of PCL/CNT nanofibrous mats between the layers of the bioprinted collagen hydrogel did not negatively affect cell viability, in which mesenchymal stem cells remained viable even after 7 days of culture within the scaffold. Conclusion: Overall, these findings evidence that this bioengineering approach offers a promising strategy for fabricating biomimetic meniscus scaffolds for tissue engineering.

Background: The facile preparation of oxygen-generating microparticles (M) consisting of Polycaprolactone (PCL), Pluronic F-127, and calcium peroxide (CPO) (PCL-F-CPO-M) fabricated through an electrospraying process is disclosed. The biological study confirmed the positive impact from the oxygen-generating microparticles on the cell growth with high viability. The presented technology could work as a prominent tool for various tissue engineering and biomedical applications. Methods: The oxygen-generated microparticles fabricated through electrospraying processes were thoroughly characterization through various methods such as X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM)/SEM-Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) analysis. Results: The analyses confirmed the presence of the various components and the porous structure of the microparticles. Spherical shape with spongy characteristic microparticles were obtained with negative charge surface (ζ = – 16.9) and a size of 17.00 ± 0.34 μm. Furthermore, the biological study performed on rat chondrocytes demonstrated good cell viability and the positive impact of increasing the amount of CPO in the PCL-F-CPO-M. Conclusion: This technological platform could work as an important tool for tissue engineering due to the ability of the microparticles to release oxygen in a sustained manner for up to 7 days with high cell viability.