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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.

Background: Osthole is extracted from Fructus Cnidii and is proved to be effective in the treatment of osteoporosis in rats. However, data are still scarce and the mechanism remains elusive. Objective: To investigate the effect of Osthole on proliferation and differentiation of osteoblast. Materials and Methods: Cells were divided into five groups: control group, β-estradiol group (10−8 M), and Osthole groups (10−6 M, 10−5 M, and 10−4 M). Osteoblast proliferation was evaluated by Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) assay. Alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity was detected by ALP staining and enzymatic measurement. Mineralization was detected by alizarin-red staining. The level of osteocalcin was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The expression of key proteins of Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway and endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) was analyzed by Western blot. Results: Cell proliferation was retarded in moderate-dose and high-dose Osthole group at 1d, 2d and 3d and in low-dose Osthole group at 1d and 2d (P Abbreviations used: ALP: Alkaline phosphatase; ELISA: Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay; CCK-8: Cell Counting Kit-8; ERS: endoplasmic reticulum stress; DMEM: Dulbecco's Modified Eagle Medium; α-MEM: α-minimum essential medium; EDTA: trypsin/ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid; DMF: N,N-dimethylformamide; TBS-T: Tris-buffered saline-Tween 20; RIPA: Radio Immuno Precipitation Assay; HRP: Horseradish peroxidase; GAPDH: Glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase; BCA: Bicinchoninic acid; ANOVA: Analysis of variance.