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Published in

IOP Publishing, Biofabrication, 4(14), p. 045007, 2022

DOI: 10.1088/1758-5090/ac8620

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Spatial patterning of PCL µ-scaffolds directs 3D vascularized bio-constructs morphogenesis in vitro

This paper was not found in any repository, but could be made available legally by the author.
This paper was not found in any repository, but could be made available legally by the author.

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Abstract

Abstract Modular tissue engineering (mTE) strategies aim to build three-dimensional tissue analogues in vitro by the sapient combination of cells, micro-scaffolds (μ-scaffs) and bioreactors. The translation of these newly engineered tissues into current clinical approaches is, among other things, dependent on implant-to-host microvasculature integration, a critical issue for cells and tissue survival in vivo. In this work we reported, for the first time, a computer-aided modular approach suitable to build fully vascularized hybrid (biological/synthetic) constructs (bio-constructs) with micro-metric size scale control of blood vessels growth and orientation. The approach consists of four main steps, starting with the fabrication of polycaprolactone μ-scaffs by fluidic emulsion technique, which exhibit biomimetic porosity features. In the second step, layers of μ-scaffs following two different patterns, namely ordered and disordered, were obtained by a soft lithography-based process. Then, the as obtained μ-scaff patterns were used as template for human dermal fibroblasts and human umbilical vein endothelial cells co-culture, aiming to promote and guide the biosynthesis of collagenous extracellular matrix and the growth of new blood vessels within the mono-layered bio-constructs. Finally, bi-layered bio-constructs were built by the alignment, stacking and fusion of two vascularized mono-layered samples featuring ordered patterns. Our results demonstrated that, if compared to the disordered pattern, the ordered one provided better control over bio-constructs shape and vasculature architecture, while minor effect was observed with respect to cell colonization and new tissue growth. Furthermore, by assembling two mono-layered bio-constructs it was possible to build 1 mm thick fully vascularized viable bio-constructs and to study tissue morphogenesis during 1 week of in vitro culture. In conclusion, our results highlighted the synergic role of μ-scaff architectural features and spatial patterning on cells colonization and biosynthesis, and pave the way for the possibility to create in silico designed vasculatures within modularly engineered bio-constructs.