Abstract
Diabetes is a metabolic disorder characterized by high blood sugar. Uncontrolled blood glucose affects the circulatory system in an organism by intervening blood circulation. The high blood glucose can lead to macrovascular (large blood vessels) and microvascular (small blood vessels) complications. Due to this, the vital organs (notably brain, eyes, feet, heart, kidneys, lungs and nerves) get worsen in diabetic patients if not treated at the earliest. Therefore, acquiring treatment at an appropriate time is very important for managing diabetes and other complications that are caused due to diabetes. The root cause for the occurrence of various health complications in diabetic patients is the uncontrolled blood glucose levels. This review presents a consolidated account of the applications of various types of three-dimensional (3D) printing and bioprinting technologies in treating diabetes as well as the complications caused due to impaired blood glucose levels. Herein, the development of biosensors (for the diagnosis), oral drug formulations, transdermal drug carriers, orthotic insoles and scaffolds (for the treatment) are discussed. Next to this, the fabrication of 3D bioprinted organs and cell-seeded hydrogels (pancreas engineering for producing insulin and bone engineering for managing bone defects) are explained. As the final application, 3D bioprinting of diabetic disease models for high-throughput screening of ant-diabetic drugs are discussed. Lastly, the challenges and future perspective associated with the use of 3D printing and bioprinting technologies against diabetes and its related chronic complications have been put forward.

1 Introduction
Diabetes, commonly referred to as a “silent-killer disease” or a “rich man’s disease” has been growing as a major chronic disease of concern in recent times (; ). According to International Diabetes Federation (IDF), 10.5% of population at the age group of 20–79 years has diabetes and half of the population among this 10.5% is unaware about the possession of the disease (). The study by IDF also reported that by the year 2045, it is expected that one in eight adults (equivalent to 783 million) will be diabetic (). Diabetes is a metabolic disorder characterized by higher concentrations of blood sugar/glucose levels. Pre-diabetes is a kind of metabolically disordered health condition, where the individual possesses high blood sugar level than the normal range (). Although the pre-diabetic condition is characterized by high blood glucose, the detected high blood sugar level might not be appropriate enough to confirm the diabetic condition. Diabetes has been classified into three types, namely, the type 1 diabetes (T1D) where the body is unable to produce enough insulin), type 2 diabetes (T2D) or non-insulin dependent diabetes (where the body produces insulin but is unable to use it effectively) and gestational diabetes (diabetes developed during pregnancy) ().
The high blood glucose initially affects the large blood vessels (leading to macrovascular complications), and if left undiagnosed, also starts affecting the small blood vessels (resulting in microvascular complications). As high blood sugar can bring down the immunity in an individual, it has to be noted that a diabetic patient is susceptible for acquiring infections often than a healthy person (). Hence, the treatment measures need to be taken from the beginning stage of diagnosis of diabetes or pre-diabetes. Acquiring treatment at an appropriate time in the early stage is very important for the effective management of diabetes.
In recent years, 3D printing and 3D bioprinting are gaining attention as forefront technologies in diagnosis and treatment of various disorders/diseases. These technologies are extensively used for the production of pharmaceutical drugs, medical products and artificial organs (; ; ). define the term “3D” in “3D Printing and Bioprinting” as “Design,” “Develop” and “Dispense” (). The technology comprises the creation of a three-dimensional (3D) object from a CAD/digital 3D model. 3D printing and 3D bioprinting technologies, despite holding the similar working principle, differ from each other in terms of the composition of the ink used for printing the objects. 3D printing is used for printing solid materials and hence the composition of printing ink is polymers and chemicals. On the other hand, 3D bioprinting is used for the production of substrates, artificial organs and in vivo models that mimics the cellular microenvironment in living organisms. The ink used in 3D bioprinting process consists of biological materials such as cells/living tissues along with (bio) polymers, growth media, regulators, etc. And hence the ink used in a 3D bioprinting process is referred to as “bioink.”
3D printing and bioprinting technologies are used in various ways in the diagnosis and treatment of diabetes. This review highlights the recent applications of 3D printing and bioprinting in treatment of diabetes and some of the common health complications caused due to diabetes. Role of 3D printing and 3D bioprinting technologies in the diagnosis and treatment of diabetes (hyperglycemia) and its associated chronic complications (especially neuropathy, hypertension, dyslipidemia, peripheral diabetic neuropathy, diabetic wounds, diabetic foot ulcers), engineering of pancreas (to overcome graft rejection due to pancreas transplant) and bones (to treat and manage bone fracture and inhibition of osteogenesis) and fabrication of 3D drug testing models for rapid screening of anti-diabetic drugs have been discussed. Lastly, a glimpse of challenges and future perspective associated with 3D printing and 3D bioprinting in the management and treatment of diabetes is discussed.
2 Types of 3D printing
Different types of 3D printing strategies have been used in the production of pharmaceuticals or biomedical devices for the diagnosis and treatment of diabetes. Extrusion-based 3D printing, Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM), Co-axial extrusion-based 3D printing, Stereolithography (SLA) 3D printing, Digital Light Processing (DLP)-based 3D printing, Selective Laser Sintering (SLS) and Ink-Jet Printing (IJP) are the various kinds of 3D printing and bioprinting techniques used in the development of pharmaceuticals and biomedical products. The working principle of some of the 3D printing approaches are described below:
(a)Extrusion-based 3D printing and bioprinting: Extrusion-based bioprinting has been evolving as one of the leading approaches for the manufacture of pharmaceuticals, regenerative medicine and tissue engineering. The principle behind the working of an extrusion-based 3D bioprinter is that ink [drug(s) loaded in the polymeric gel] or bioink (polymer with biological materials) will be extruded through the nozzles to create 3D structures. The so formed 3D bioprinted structures can be further crosslinked for obtaining final 3D structures. Figure 1 presents the schematic of the working principle of an extrusion-based 3D bioprinter.
(b)Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM): FDM, also referred to as “Fused Filament Fabrication” is a process in which the solid/thermoplastic filaments are extruded in a layer-by-layer manner through a nozzle after melting to form a 3D-object (). The main requisite of the printing material for its use in FDM 3D printing is that the molten printing material should be capable of solidifying immediately once the printing is over. FDM is mostly used in the continuous production of pharmaceuticals.
(c)Co-axial 3D bioprinting: Co-axial 3D bioprinting is a strategy that facilitates multimaterial printing that simultaneously dispenses multiple bioinks through a single filament (containing concentric orifices to dispense bioinks concentrically). This kind of 3D printing strategy is mostly used in biofabrication of cell-laden constructs/tissue engineering applications (; ; ) and to a certain extent in the manufacture of pharmaceutical formulations (). An interested reader can explore for more details on the applications of co-axial 3D bioprinting in tissue engineering by referring to the review by ().
(d)SLA 3D printing and bioprinting: SLA, also known as “vat polymerization” 3D printing is a process in which the photosensitive resin in the form of liquid is poured into a tank and cured by UV light for solidification (). SLA 3D printing and bioprinting techniques are mostly used in the fabrication of pharmaceutical formulations and cell scaffolds, especially the bone scaffolds. Figure 2 presents the schematic of principle behind the working of a SLA 3D printer/bioprinter.
(e)DLP-based 3D printing and bioprinting: In DLP-based 3D bioprinting, the digital light source is allowed to project layer-by-layer in the form of surface light on a liquid photosensitive resin surface, followed by solidification of layers. Figure 3 presents the schematic of the working principle of a DLP-based 3D printer/bioprinter.
FIGURE 1
FIGURE 2

Schematic of the working principle of a SLA 3D printer/bioprinter (
FIGURE 3

Schematic of the working principle of a DLP-based 3D printer/bioprinter (
3 Applications of 3D printing and 3D bioprinting in diabetic patients
3.1 Diagnostic applications
3.1.1 Biosensors and other analytical tools
Biosensors are analytical devices used in sensing and detection of high glucose level in diabetic patients.
3.2 Therapeutic applications
3.2.1 Oral medications
3D printing has been recognized as one of the promising strategies implemented for the production of oral solid dosage forms (
3.2.2 Transdermal drug delivery systems
Transdermal drug delivery has been gaining attraction as an effective drug delivery system since it offers several advantages such as being patient friendly, non-invasive, and potential to bypass the first-pass metabolism by liver (
Analogous to the discussed work above,
Interestingly, very limited number of reports have explored the formulation of MN system by extrusion-based 3D printing.
A step ahead of transdermal drug delivery,
3.2.3 Orthotic insoles
50% of diabetic patients were believed to develop symptomatic peripheral neuropathy within 25 years of first occurrence of diabetes (
In the past few days, integration of 3D printing, scanning, materials chemistry and software application have been highly beneficial in fine-tuning the procedure of insole fabrication process and in enhancing the performance of insoles as well (
3.2.4 Diabetic wounds and foot ulcers
Diabetic wounds are another kind of complications that affects the quality of life of most of the diabetic patients with peripheral neuropathy. A typical wound healing process comprises four important phases, namely, hemostasis, inflammation, proliferation and remodeling (
FIGURE 4

Digital images of 3D bioprinted PCL scaffolds of different designs: (A) honeycomb, (B) square, (C) parallel, (D) triangular, (E) double-parallel, and (F) the fexibility a bioprinted scaffold [Reproduced from (
TABLE 1
| S. No. | Type of the 3D printed biomaterial | Hydrogel composition | Fabrication method | Comments | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Scaffold | Inner core of the scaffold: nanocomposite hydrogel composed of hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC) and PEGylated LPs encapsulated with thyme oil (TO) prepared by microfluidics technology with an Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API); Outer core—a hybrid hydrogel composed of sodium alginate/cellulose nanocrystals (SA/CNC) and enriched with free TO | Integration of microfluidics technology with co-axial 3D-bioprinting | The scaffolds exhibited a combination of burst and sustained release of drug; The incorporation of bioactive compound in the scaffold imparted the anti-bacterial properties to the scaffold | |
| 02 | Antibiotic scaffold | Levoflocixin | Extrusion-based bioprinting using a Bio-X bioprinter thermoplastic print head | The antibiotic scaffolds showed excellent mechanical properties and exhibited a sustained drug release for 4 weeks | |
| 03 | Porous scaffolds | Chitosan | Extrusion-based 3D printing process | Improvement in the quality of the restored tissue during the healing process in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats | |
| 04 | MoS2 accelerated gelling hydrogel scaffold | MoS2 nanosheets, benzaldehyde and cyanoacetate group-functionalized dextran solution | in situ three-dimensional (3D) bioprinting | Assistance in the closure of wounds, eased the oxidative stress, eliminated bacterial infection and positively improved the wound healing process | |
| 05 | Wound dressing | DNA from salmon sperm and DNA-induced biosilica | Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based 3D bioprinting | Enhancement of the biological activity of the dressings through scavenging of reactive oxygen species (ROS); Promotion of angiogenesis; Anti-inflammation property; Acceleration of the acute and diabetic wound healing | |
| 06 | 3D-bioprinted autologous adipose tissue grafts | Fibrin glue | 3D bioprinter | Promotion of wound healing with high-quality reconstruction of skin tissues | |
| 07 | Scaffolds | Satureja cuneifolia plant extract (SC), sodium alginate (SA)/polyethylene glycol (PEG) | 3D printing | Best antibacterial activity (mainly against gram-positive bacteria); Promotion of diabetic wound healing | |
| 08 | Injectable amyloid-based composite hydrogel and 3D printable hydrogel | Bovine serum albumin and aloe vera | 3D printing | Provision of best shape fidelity and mechanical properties suitable for faster chronic wound healing | |
| 09 | Multicomponent biocomposite hydrogel wound dressings | Chitosan methacrylamide, cellulose nanocrystal, antibacterial silver nanoparticles and vascular endothelial growth factor | 3D Printing | Improvement in granulation tissue formation and differential points of vascular density; Yielding of various physiological responses in mouse model depending on the growth factor | |
| 10 | MeHA patches | Methacrylated hyaluronic acid (MeHA) and small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) attained from human mesenchymal stem cells (MSC-sEVs) | Extrusion-based 3D printing process | Improvement in wound closure in diabetic mouse | |
| 11 | Scaffolds | Copper-epigallocatechin gallate (Cu-EGCG) capsules loaded in a methacrylated decellularized extracellular matrix-based hydrogel | Extrusion-based 3D printing process | The dermal scaffolds exhibited a good pore size, excellent biocompatibility and promoted angiogenesis | |
| 12 | Hydrogel | Bioactive elements, egg white | 3D Printing | The hydrogels stimulated the fibroblasts and adipose tissue-derived stem cells without imparting any cytotoxic effects | |
| 13 | Core-shell hydrogel microfiber | Poly Vinyl Alcohol/Indomethacin/MMP inhibitor (PVA/INDO/MMPI) functional bio-ink | Co-axial biological 3D printing | The microfiber-based dressings possessed multifunctional properties such as controlled drug-release, excellent water absorption (and water retention), good biocompatibility, wound-healing, antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties | |
| 14 | Peptide-based hydrogel | Thiolated γ-polyglutamic acid (γ-PGA-SH), glycidyl methacrylate-conjugated γ-polyglutamic acid (γ-PGA-GMA), thiolated arginine-glycine-aspartate (RGDC) sequences and vascular endothelial growth factor 165-overexpressed human umbilical vein endothelial cells | 3D bioprinting | The cell-laden hydrogel promoted angiogenesis, reduced tissue hypoxia and minimized inflammation | |
| 16 | Composite scaffolds | Gelatin-decellularized matrix—quaternized chitosan [Gel-dECM-Qcs (GDQ)] bioink | Extrusion-based 3D printing process | GDQ composite scaffolds exhibited good mechanical properties, good biocompatibility, wound healing, and antimicrobial ability | |
| 17 | Scaffold | Decellularized small intestinal submucosa (SIS) combined with mesoporous bioactive glass (MBG) and exosomes | 3D Printing in low temperature | Acceleration of diabetic wound healing and induction of angiogenesis by the scaffolds; Promotion of granulation tissue formation, collagen fiber deposition, and growth of functional new blood vessels by the scaffolds |
Summary of literature reports available on 3D bioprinted hydrogels/scaffolds fabricated for diabetic wound healing and DFU healing applications.
3.3 Engineering of pancreas and bones
3.3.1 3D bioprinted organs, bio scaffolding/encapsulation systems
Among the various organs in the organ system, pancreas play a vital role in maintaining blood glucose level (
FIGURE 5

Schematic representation of a pancreas and its constituents [Reproduced from (
When the function of a pancreas or liver is impaired, the regular glucose metabolism in the body will be disrupted, thereby leading to pre-diabetes or diabetes. Though chemotherapy via intake of drugs such as metformin or insulin therapy can be adopted as a treatment for T2D (the condition where the body is unable to use the produced insulin) or T1D (the body is unable to produce enough insulin) the drug-based or insulin therapy may become inadequate for patients during the course of time. In such a condition, the patients will be in need of pancreatic islets or pancreas transplant (
Transplantation of bioartificial organs (bioartificial pancreas) is an attractive strategy that can be employed to circumvent the above-mentioned drawbacks. Fabrication of a bioartificial pancreas is a complicated process and utmost care should be taken with respect to several aspects notably source of islet cells, biocompatibility to the host, possession of vascularization network and enriched nutrient supply. Figure 6 presents the schematic indicating the various factors that influence the fabrication of a bioartificial pancreas (
FIGURE 6

Considerations for the fabrication of bioartificial pancreas (
3D Bioprinting can be employed to get rid of the drawback of graft rejection by the body through means of facilitating donor-independent T1D treatment strategy. A polymer chosen for bioprinting organs should possess the vital characteristics such biodegradable, biocompatible, 3D printable, crosslinkable and storable. In donor-independent T1D treatment strategy of restoring glucose homeostasis, the human stem cells will be cultured in vitro and differentiated into β cells (insulin-producing cells) and α cells (glucagon-producing cells). The β and α cells will be impregnated into the bioink for the 3D bioprinting of pancreas, which will be transplanted into patients (
The components in Extracellular matrix (ECM) influence the biological activity, mechanical stability and life span of the in vitro pancreatic culture (
Concurrently,
3.3.2 Management of diabetes-associated bone defects
The hyperglycemic condition and altered metabolism in T1D and T2D patients enhance the risk of fracture, impairs fracture healing and interferes with bone forming process (
Interestingly,
Osteogenesis inhibition caused by the stem cell dysfunction is another factor responsible for the impairment of a bone regeneration process in a diabetic patient (
“Critical-sized bone defect” is a kind of bone defect that fails to heal spontaneously without surgical intervention because of the fact that its size surpasses its intrinsic healing potential (
3.4 3D drug testing models
3D in vitro models are the excellent therapeutic screening tools as they can mimic the exact the microenvironment of biological system.
4 Challenges and future perspectives
The 3D printing and bioprinting technologies are expensive. This factor limits their affordability for their use in the manufacture of 3D printed medicines/bioprinted organs for public use. Most of the research related to 3D printing and bioprinting are still limited to lab scale and translational research needs to be given more importance among the researchers. Importance should be given towards understanding the impact of 3D printed and bioprinted products in biological systems by conducting pre-clinical studies and case studies wherever applicable. Secondly, though 3D printing technology can afford fabrication of pharmaceuticals with varying sizes and shapes, the production of anti-diabetic drug formulations with customized doses depending on the age and other factors of patients has not been explored till date. In the current scenario, research and development on personalization or individualization is sparse. Hence, significant importance ought to be provided to the development of patient-centric pharmaceutical/biomedical products rather than the “one-size-fits-all” medication types. Thirdly, efforts have to be improved to obtain Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approval for the 3D printed and bioprinted products. Till date, Spritam is the only 3D printed medicine that has been approved for use by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Therefore, more emphasize need to be given towards 3D printed/bioprinted product development, marketing and its utility for public use. In vitro drug testing models, identification of solutions for the ethical issues against the use of 3D printed or bioprinted products is another area to be focused on.
Statements
Author contributions
IS: Conceptualization, Writing–original draft, Writing–review and editing.
Funding
The author(s) declare that no financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Acknowledgments
The author gratefully acknowledges National Institute of Technology Calicut (NITC) for the support.
Conflict of interest
The author declares that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
Publisher’s note
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article, or claim that may be made by its manufacturer, is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.
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Summary
Keywords
diabetes, 3D printing, 3D bioprinting, chronic complications, diagnosis, treatment, cell-seeded hydrogels, diabetic disease models
Citation
Sathisaran I (2024) 3D printing and bioprinting in the battle against diabetes and its chronic complications. Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol. 12:1363483. doi: 10.3389/fbioe.2024.1363483
Received
30 December 2023
Accepted
22 April 2024
Published
28 May 2024
Volume
12 - 2024
Edited by
Sudipto Datta, Indian Institute of Science (IISc), India
Reviewed by
Bodhisatwa Das, Indian Institute of Technology Ropar, India
Dana Akilbekova, Nazarbayev University, Kazakhstan
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© 2024 Sathisaran.
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*Correspondence: Indumathi Sathisaran, indumathis@nitc.ac.in
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