Self-Assembled Collagen Microparticles by Aerosol as a Versatile Platform for Injectable Anisotropic Materials

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Tissue Engineering
• Regenerative Medicine

Background:

• Type I collagen forms anisotropic extracellular matrices (ECM) but is challenging to process in vitro due to denaturation.
• Proper self-assembly and hierarchical ordering of collagen molecules are often lost during in vitro processing.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an innovative method for producing highly concentrated, injectable collagen microparticles.
• To demonstrate the encapsulation of bioactive therapeutic products, specifically secretion products from gingival mesenchymal stem cells (gMSCs).
• To assess the potential of these microparticles in stimulating damaged ECM regeneration.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a spray-drying process to induce self-assembly of collagen molecules into microparticles.
• Encapsulated secretion products from gingival mesenchymal stem cells (gMSCs) within the collagen microparticles.
• Injected the collagen microparticles into a cell culture medium to observe matrix formation.

Main Results:

• Successfully produced highly concentrated and injectable collagen microparticles.
• Demonstrated the versatility of the spray-drying process for encapsulating bioactive stem cell products.
• Observed the formation of a locally organized fibrillar matrix upon injection of the microparticles into cell culture medium.

Conclusions:

• The spray-drying method offers an efficient way to create handleable collagen microparticles for encapsulation and injection.
• This approach holds promise for active tissue regeneration strategies.
• The technology opens new perspectives for creating 3D bioprinted scaffolds with enhanced regenerative capabilities.