Open porous microscaffolds for cellular and tissue engineering by lipid templating

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Tissue Engineering
• Polymer Chemistry

Background:

• Biodegradable porous microspheres are crucial for tissue engineering, enabling microtissue fabrication and assembly.
• Existing fabrication methods lack control over pore size for effective cell infiltration.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop novel fabrication techniques for open porous microscaffolds with controlled pore sizes.
• To evaluate the cytocompatibility and cell culture performance of these microscaffolds.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of poly(lactide-co-glycolide) microscaffolds using lipid templating.
• Employing dispersion spraying or double emulsion techniques for particle generation.
• Characterization of morphology, size distribution, and porosity; assessment of cytocompatibility and cell differentiation.

Main Results:

• Microscaffolds averaged 500–800 μm with high porosity and surface pores >50 μm.
• Processing parameters and lipid porogen type controlled particle size and morphology.
• Microscaffolds demonstrated cytocompatibility and supported proliferation and adipogenic differentiation of rat adipose-derived stromal cells.

Conclusions:

• Developed fabrication techniques yield tunable, porous microscaffolds suitable for cell infiltration.
• The fabricated microscaffolds are cytocompatible and support cellular functions essential for tissue engineering applications.