ANALYSIS OF THE WORLD EXPERIENCE IN THE USE OF UMBILICAL CORD BIOMATERIAL IN TISSUE ENGINEERING AND 3D BIOPRINTING

Abstract

The purpose of this review is to study the world experience in the use of umbilical cord biomaterials in tissue engineering and 3D-bioprinting. The most important component of tissue engineering is matrix (frame, scaffold), cells migrate, attach to it and function there. Due to their tissue specific structure, matrices are integrated into the patient’s tissue, providing growth factors and cell adhesion molecules for cell attachment, reproduction, differentiation and functioning. The cells that inhabit the matrix in the bioreactor before the transplantation, or resident cells recruited into the
transplanted extracellular matrix, and cell-matrix interactions are equally necessary components of tissue engineering. In addition to three-dimensional structures based on acellular matrices for the creation of organs and tissues ex vivo, developed systems 3D-bioprinting as an innovative method of
creating tissues based on hydrogel and cells populated by a computer bioprinter. The requirements for hydrogel are generally close to the requirements for tissue-engineered matrices, and consist in non-immunogenicity, biodegradability in the predicted time, non-cytotoxicity, the ability to provide growth factors to cells. Due to the limited availability of donor in vivo m aterial, the difficulty of obtaining of cadaveric biomaterial, and the legal prohibition of human xenogenic tissue and organ transplantation, the search for a suitable homologous biomaterial for the manufacture of tissue-engineered matrices and hydrogels for bioprinting continues. Homologous available biomaterial with preserved regenerative potential is the human umbilical cord. Being an extraembryonic tissue, the umbilical cord is devoid of defects inherent in postnatal tissue matrices. The regenerative factors of
the umbilical cord are discussed in light of their potential use for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Due to the availability and noninvasiveness of obtaining from healthy young donors, umbilical cord is seen as an excellent source of homologous biomaterial for the production of matrices, cells and hydrogels for the needs of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.