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Self-assembly of tissue spheroids on polymeric membranes
Antonietta Messina1,2, Sabrina Morelli1, Gabor Forgacs3,4
1Institute on Membrane Technology, National Research Council of Italy, ITM-CNR, University of Calabria, Rende, Italy.
Journal of Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine
|November 10, 2015
Summary
Polymeric membranes significantly accelerate multicellular tissue spheroid fusion and formation. Key membrane properties like oxygen transport and mechanical strength enhance tissue engineering applications.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Science
- Tissue Engineering
- Cell Biology
Background:
- Multicellular tissue spheroids are crucial for tissue engineering.
- Efficient spheroid fusion and tissue formation are essential for developing functional tissues and organs.
- Polymeric membranes offer tunable properties for optimizing cell culture environments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the use of polymeric membranes for accelerating tissue spheroid fusion and formation.
- To evaluate the impact of membrane physicochemical, mechanical, and transport properties on spheroid fusion.
- To compare spheroid fusion and maturation on different membrane materials (polycaprolactone and chitosan) versus an inert substrate.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of multicellular tissue spheroids using myoblasts, fibroblasts, and neural cells.
- Culture of spheroids on agarose, polycaprolactone (PCL), and chitosan (CHT) membranes prepared via phase-inversion.
- Quantification of spheroid fusion rates and assessment of biological activity (oxygen uptake).
Main Results:
- Polymeric membranes accelerated spheroid fusion compared to an inert substrate.
- Fusion was completed within 3 days for all cell types on membranes.
- Fusion rate correlated with membrane oxygen/carbon dioxide permeance and elastic properties, with PCL showing faster fusion and maturation than agarose.
- Spheroids on membranes exhibited high biological activity.
Conclusions:
- Polymeric membranes, particularly PCL, enhance spheroid fusion and maturation.
- Membrane properties, including mass transfer and mechanical characteristics, critically influence tissue formation.
- These membrane-supported spheroids are promising building blocks for tissue and organ fabrication.
