Twelve-day medium pumping into tubular cell-laden scaffold using a lab-made PDMS connector

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Tissue Engineering
• Cell Biology

Background:

• Effective nutrient delivery is crucial for cell viability and function in engineered tissues.
• Existing methods for perfusing cell-laden scaffolds often face challenges with long-term stability and efficacy.
• Developing dynamic culture systems is essential for mimicking in vivo environments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose and evaluate a method for perfusing culture medium into a two-layered, cell-laden tubular scaffold.
• To enhance cell proliferation, confluence, and viability within the scaffold.
• To assess the potential for tissue formation and application in vascular tissue engineering.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a two-layered tubular scaffold using calcium-alginate and fibroblast cells (NIH/3T3) via a coaxial laminar-flow generator.
• Integration of the scaffold with a syringe pump system using a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) micro-connector for controlled medium perfusion.
• Comparison of three medium delivery conditions: heartbeat-mimicking pumping, continuous pumping, and non-pumping.

Main Results:

• Sustained non-leaky connections for over 11 days under both pumping conditions, attributed to scaffold elasticity.
• Significantly enhanced cell proliferation, confluence, and viability in both heartbeat-mimicking and continuous pumping groups compared to the non-pumping group.
• Formation of a tissue-like structure, evidenced by the production of type-I collagen matrix, in cells subjected to medium perfusion.

Conclusions:

• The proposed medium perfusion technique effectively supports cell growth and viability in tubular scaffolds.
• Dynamic culture conditions, particularly heartbeat-mimicking flow, promote tissue development within the scaffold.
• This method holds promise for advancing vascular co-culturing and engineered vascular tissue applications.