Bile duct reconstruction using scaffold-free tubular constructs created by Bio-3D printer

INTRODUCTION: Biliary strictures after bile duct injury or duct-to-duct biliary reconstruction are serious complications that markedly reduce patients’ quality of life because their treatment involves periodic stent replacements. This study aimed to create a scaffold-free tubular construct as an interposition graft to treat biliary complications. METHODS: Scaffold-free tubular constructs of allogeneic pig fibroblasts, that is, fibroblast tubes, were created using a Bio-3D Printer and implanted into pigs as interposition grafts for duct-to-duct biliary reconstruction. RESULTS: Although the fibroblast tube was weaker than the native bile duct, it was sufficiently strong to enable suturing. The pigs' serum hepatobiliary enzyme levels remained stable during the experimental period. Micro-computed tomography showed no biliary strictures, no biliary leakages, and no intrahepatic bile duct dilations. The tubular structure was retained in all resected specimens, and the fibroblasts persisted at the graft sites. Immunohistochemical analyses revealed angiogenesis in the fibroblast tube and absence of extensions of the biliary epithelium into the fibroblast tube's lumen. CONCLUSIONS: This study's findings demonstrated successful reconstruction of the extrahepatic bile duct with a scaffold-free tubular construct created from pig fibroblasts using a novel Bio-3D Printer. This construct could provide a novel regenerative treatment for patients with hepatobiliary diseases.