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Bubble casting strategy to construct multifurcated hydrogel microtubes with adjustable dimensions and
Haonan Sun1, Kunming Xing2, Kexin Liu1
1Collaborative Innovation Center of Tumor Marker Detection Technology, Shandong Province Key Laboratory of Detection Technology for Tumor Makers, College of Medicine, Linyi University, Linyi 276005, People's Republic of China.
Biofabrication
|July 3, 2025
Summary
Researchers developed an accessible method using bubble casting and stimuli-responsive hydrogels to create tunable, multifurcated hydrogel microtubes for vascular tissue engineering and modeling.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Science
- Tissue Engineering
- Regenerative Medicine
Background:
- Reconstructing human tubular structures with small diameters, complex morphologies, and biomimetic functions is challenging for researchers without specialized fabrication skills.
- Existing methods often lack accessibility and modularity for creating intricate microtube networks.
Purpose of the Study:
- To present a simple, effective, and accessible strategy for fabricating freestanding, multifurcated hydrogel microtubes.
- To enable tunable diameters, perfusability, and endothelialization capabilities in engineered microvessels.
- To provide a modular approach for assembling 2D and 3D microtube networks for applications in tissue engineering and vascular modeling.
Main Methods:
- Integration of stimuli-responsive hydrogels (gelatin and methacrylated gelatin - GelMA) with a bubble casting technique.
- Utilizing adhesive interactions between hydrogels and silicone molds for precise structure formation.
- Employing modular assembly with adhesive connectors for creating 2D and 3D microtube networks.
Main Results:
- Fabrication of freestanding, multifurcated hydrogel microtubes with tunable diameters and uniform thickness.
- Demonstration of rapid and irreversible hydrogel formation using temperature-sensitive gelatin and photo-crosslinkable GelMA.
- Successful assembly of straight, L-shaped, T-shaped, bifurcated, and trifurcated microtubes into interconnected 3D networks.
- Exhibition of favorable physiological stability, mechanical strength, hemocompatibility, cytocompatibility, and anti-thrombogenicity.
- Successful perfusion with whole rabbit blood and endothelialization with human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs).
Conclusions:
- The developed bubble casting technique offers a robust, accessible, and modular strategy for fabricating advanced hydrogel microtubes.
- The engineered microtubes possess biomimetic functionality suitable for vascular scaffolds.
- This technique is adaptable for researchers across disciplines, requiring no specialized equipment or training for applications in tissue engineering and vascular modeling.
