Harnessing Oxidized Alginate Microgels for Rapid and Self‐Assembling Dental Tissue Organogenesis In Vitro and In Vivo

Regenerating dental tissues for craniofacial reconstruction remains challenging due to inadequate tissue organization and poor intercellular connectivity, often caused by residual biomaterials. Recapitulating key developmental processes, such as spontaneous cellular condensation and epithelial-mesenchymal interactions (EMI), is essential for engineering functional tissue architecture. This study introduces an innovative system that utilizes oxidized alginate (OA) microgels laden with high-density human dental stem cells to promote self-condensation and EMI. The OA microgels were prepared through sodium periodate oxidation and further optimized. In vitro studies demonstrated rapid self-degradation of OA, which promoted efficient cell condensation and robust 3D tissue formation. Following subcutaneous transplantation into mice, the cell-dense microgels exhibited functional integration with host tissues, along with robust vascularization and osteogenic differentiation. To demonstrate its potential for craniofacial regeneration, a tooth germ model (OA/Epithelium + OA/Mesenchyme) that mimics EMI was developed using embryonic dental epithelial and mesenchymal cells from Embryonic Day 14.5 mice. Immediate transplantation under the mouse kidney capsule resulted in bone organogenesis within two weeks. In summary, the OA microgel system provides initial mechanical support and then quickly degrades to enable critical cell-cell interactions that mirror organ development. Thus, this scalable and cost-effective approach holds significant promise for advancing dental tissue engineering.

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Publication Details

Journal
Small Science
Published
2025-10-03
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/smsc.202500053
Primary Topic
3D Printing in Biomedical Research
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Harnessing Oxidized Alginate Microgels for Rapid and Self‐Assembling Dental Tissue Organogenesis In Vitro and In Vivo

Zhaoming Wu, Shuxuan Wu, Indong Jun, Zhenzhen Wu et al.
Small Science
3D Printing in Biomedical Research
article

Harnessing Oxidized Alginate Microgels for Rapid and Self‐Assembling Dental Tissue Organogenesis In Vitro and In Vivo

Zhaoming Wu, Shuxuan Wu, Indong Jun, Zhenzhen Wu, Feiming Li, Chao Liang, Honghyun Park, Yiu Yan Leung, Jae Seo Lee, Il Keun Kwon, Ann‐Na Cho, Seil Sohn, Gkk Leung, Hwan Kim, Karrie Mei Yee Kiang, Haram Nah, Siyuan Chen, Sang-Woo Lee, Sang Jin Lee, Ziqi Huang, Hee Jung Lee, Seong Jun Kim, Deok Rim Heo
article en

Abstract

Regenerating dental tissues for craniofacial reconstruction remains challenging due to inadequate tissue organization and poor intercellular connectivity, often caused by residual biomaterials. Recapitulating key developmental processes, such as spontaneous cellular condensation and epithelial-mesenchymal interactions (EMI), is essential for engineering functional tissue architecture. This study introduces an innovative system that utilizes oxidized alginate (OA) microgels laden with high-density human dental stem cells to promote self-condensation and EMI. The OA microgels were prepared through sodium periodate oxidation and further optimized. In vitro studies demonstrated rapid self-degradation of OA, which promoted efficient cell condensation and robust 3D tissue formation. Following subcutaneous transplantation into mice, the cell-dense microgels exhibited functional integration with host tissues, along with robust vascularization and osteogenic differentiation. To demonstrate its potential for craniofacial regeneration, a tooth germ model (OA/Epithelium + OA/Mesenchyme) that mimics EMI was developed using embryonic dental epithelial and mesenchymal cells from Embryonic Day 14.5 mice. Immediate transplantation under the mouse kidney capsule resulted in bone organogenesis within two weeks. In summary, the OA microgel system provides initial mechanical support and then quickly degrades to enable critical cell-cell interactions that mirror organ development. Thus, this scalable and cost-effective approach holds significant promise for advancing dental tissue engineering.

Small ScienceVol. 5(12)
Seoul National University of Science and Technology (KR), The University of Sydney (AU), Seoul National University (KR), Kyung Hee University (KR), KIST Europe (DE), Korea Institute of Materials Science (KR), CHA University Bundang Medical Center (KR), Kyung Hee University Dental Hospital (KR), Seoul National University Dental Hospital (KR), University of Hong Kong (HK)
National Research Foundation, Korea Health Industry Development Institute, National Research Foundation of Korea, Ministry of SMEs and Startups, Ministry of Science and ICT, South Korea
Openalex Percentile: Top 73%
3D Printing in Biomedical Research
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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