Osteocyte Spheroids as a Live-Cell Additive Proposed as a Component in the Compounding of Biofabricated Materials for Engineered Bone Tissue: Formation and Biological Performance

Purpose To proposes osteocyte spheroids as a live-cell additive for biofabricated materials in engineered bone tissue. Methods The osteocytes were encapsulated with alginate to form the cell spheroids. Different amounts of osteocyte spheroids with alginate encapsulation were cultured with osteoblasts. Osteocyte cell spheroids of 1, 3, and 5 beads were designated as 1B-Spher, 3B-Spher, and 5B-Spher, respectively. The morphology of the cell spheroids was observed with light microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The biological performances, including cell viability and proliferation, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, calcium synthesis and deposition, protein synthesis, and histology, were evaluated. Results The results demonstrated that collagen type I and calcium minerals were secreted from the cell spheroids. Cell spheroids cultured with osteoblasts had high cell proliferation, ALP activity, calcium synthesis, and protein synthesis. In particular, the 5B-Spher showed good biological performances for engineered bone tissue. Conclusion This research confirmed that osteocyte spheroids as a live-cell additive can be identified as a component for compounding biofabricated materials, in particular as a bioink component for 3D printed bone tissue.