Posted by Chronic wounds and scarring represent major clinical challenges owing to dysregulated tissue repair processes. The emergence of 3D bioprinting offers a promising approach by enabling the fabrication of biomimetic skin substitutes that enhance chronic wound management and facilitate scar modulation. This review provides a phase-oriented framework linking bio-ink properties with the dynamic biological requirements of each wound-healing stage, integrating material engineering, regenerative mechanisms, and translational challenges with a particular focus on establishing phase-specific relationships between bioink properties and wound-healing requirements.
Unlike conventional structural bio-inks, CD-based systems provide a unique advantage as bioactive delivery platforms, allowing temporally controlled release of therapeutic molecules according to the changing requirements of wound healing phases. For example, a β-cyclodextrin-hyaluronic acid bio-ink loaded with curcumin demonstrated reduced inflammatory responses and improved wound closure in rat models through sustained drug release. Another investigation utilized a 3D-printed α-cyclodextrin-gelatin composite bio-ink incorporating VEGF, which enhanced angiogenesis and wound closure in porcine burn models. CD itself provides limited structural support, and its application as a bio-ink generally depends on integration with mechanically stronger hydrogel networks.
Bahrami G, Ma A, Fan R and Yi C (2026) Bio-inks for skin regeneration: phase-adaptive design, multifunctional platforms, and 4D bioprinting frontiers. Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol. 14:1919338. doi: 10.3389/fbioe.2026.1919338