مقالات پذیرفته شده در سومین کنگره بین المللی زیست پزشکی
Application of microfluidics for fabricating cell-laden hydrogel microfibers
Application of microfluidics for fabricating cell-laden hydrogel microfibers
Mona Navaei-Nigjeh,1,*
1. Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Center, The Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences (TIPS), Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Introduction: Tissue engineering is focusing on processing tissue micro-structures for a variety of applications in cell biology and the “bottom-up” construction of artificial tissue. Among the various types of micro-structures for tissue regeneration, cell-laden hydrogel microfibers are recognized as an appropriate shape because many important human tissues and organs are composed of fiber-shaped or network-like structures.
Methods: Various methods have recently been developed for continuous fabrication of microfibers; these include macromolecular assembly, electrospinning, wet spinning, melt spinning, drawing, and template-based processes. Each of these methods is suitable for a different application. However, most of the microfibers generated by these techniques have homogeneous chemical composition and structures that are quite different from the structures found in human tissues. Moreover, they are usually compatible with a restricted choice of materials and often require a rigorous processing procedure, both of which strongly limit their applications. Microfluidic techniques have been significantly developed in recent years, and they have played pivotal roles in tissue engineering by combining microfabrication and functional biomaterials for creating various cell and tissue constructs and single or multi-compartmental scaffolds.
Results: Notably, with the use of microfluidic devices, hydrogel-based microfibers have emerged as an excellent structure for building diverse scaffolds such as muscle fibers and blood vessels owing to their biocompatible properties for facilitating cell morphology expressions and behaviors. In addition, microfluidic technologies have been used to produce microfibers containing dispersed cells, which can subsequently be assembled into higher-order structures for mimicking tubular, multi-layer tubular, or other fibrous tissues.
Conclusion: In conclusion, it was anticipated that microfluidic technique will be employed to fabricate cell-laden hydrogel microfibers and produce tissue constructs that mimic natural tissues with potential applications in biological research and tissue engineering.