Bioengineered nasal septum implant with 3D-printed silicone and chondrocyte-seeded fibrin hydrogel

Abstract

Nasal septum reconstruction remains a significant challenge when native cartilage is deficient due to trauma, congenital defects or oncological resection. Although autologous cartilage grafts remain the gold standard, their use is limited by donor site morbidity and tissue availability. Synthetic implants, while readily available, present rejection, infection and extrusion issues, which complicate their use in nasal reconstruction. Here, we present a bioengineered alternative, that is a hybrid nasal septum implant consisting of a 3Dprinted medical-grade silicone scaffold combined with fibrin hydrogels seeded with human nasal chondrocytes (HNCs). HNCs cultured within the fibrin-silicone constructs under chondrogenic conditions (with BMP-2, insulin and triiodothyronine) exhibited robust re-differentiation, evidenced by an upregulated expression of cartilage-specific genes (COL2A1, COL9A1, ACAN) and matrix deposition (type II collagen). Subcutaneous implantation in immunodeficient mice confirmed the in vivo stability of the constructs, with preservation of the cartilaginous matrix. A full-scale implant was also fabricated and matured in vitro, demonstrating extracellular matrix production. Surgical handling in a human cadaver showed optimal anatomical fit and implant resilience. Our findings demonstrate that the combination of 3D-printed silicone scaffolds with fibrin-HNC matrices constitutes hybrid nasal septum implants, advancing toward clinically translatable nasal reconstruction.

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Cite

BibTeX RIS

BibTeX

@article{perriergroult2026bioengineered,
  title = {{Bioengineered nasal septum implant with 3D-printed silicone and chondrocyte-seeded fibrin hydrogel}},
  author = {Emeline Perrier-Groult and Delphine Vertu-Ciolino and Fanny Brunard and Audrey Ziverec and Edwin Courtial and Marielle Pasdeloup and Maxime Ducret and Jerome Lafont and Maria-Christina Saade and Christophe Marquette and Frédéric Mallein-Gerin and Jean-Daniel Malcor},
  journal = {Regenerative Biomaterials},
  year = {2026},
  month = jun,
  doi = {10.1093/rb/rbag122/8704554},
  url = {https://hal.science/hal-05844028v1},
  note = {CC BY 4.0},
}

RIS

TY  - JOUR
TI  - Bioengineered nasal septum implant with 3D-printed silicone and chondrocyte-seeded fibrin hydrogel
AU  - Emeline Perrier-Groult
AU  - Delphine Vertu-Ciolino
AU  - Fanny Brunard
AU  - Audrey Ziverec
AU  - Edwin Courtial
AU  - Marielle Pasdeloup
AU  - Maxime Ducret
AU  - Jerome Lafont
AU  - Maria-Christina Saade
AU  - Christophe Marquette
AU  - Frédéric Mallein-Gerin
AU  - Jean-Daniel Malcor
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/06/09
JO  - Regenerative Biomaterials
DO  - 10.1093/rb/rbag122/8704554
UR  - https://hal.science/hal-05844028v1
AB  - Nasal septum reconstruction remains a significant challenge when native cartilage is deficient due to trauma, congenital defects or oncological resection. Although autologous cartilage grafts remain the gold standard, their use is limited by donor site morbidity and tissue availability. Synthetic implants, while readily available, present rejection, infection and extrusion issues, which complicate their use in nasal reconstruction. Here, we present a bioengineered alternative, that is a hybrid nasal septum implant consisting of a 3Dprinted medical-grade silicone scaffold combined with fibrin hydrogels seeded with human nasal chondrocytes (HNCs). HNCs cultured within the fibrin-silicone constructs under chondrogenic conditions (with BMP-2, insulin and triiodothyronine) exhibited robust re-differentiation, evidenced by an upregulated expression of cartilage-specific genes (COL2A1, COL9A1, ACAN) and matrix deposition (type II collagen). Subcutaneous implantation in immunodeficient mice confirmed the in vivo stability of the constructs, with preservation of the cartilaginous matrix. A full-scale implant was also fabricated and matured in vitro, demonstrating extracellular matrix production. Surgical handling in a human cadaver showed optimal anatomical fit and implant resilience. Our findings demonstrate that the combination of 3D-printed silicone scaffolds with fibrin-HNC matrices constitutes hybrid nasal septum implants, advancing toward clinically translatable nasal reconstruction.
SN  - 2056-3426
ER  -

Abstract

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