Comparative Viability and Functionality of Bio-Jetted and Threaded Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells

Advanced functional biological assays are critical for interrogating a process and/or material(s). The chicken embryo chorioallantoic membrane (CAM-an alternative in vivo system) and the angiogenesis assays, are two such well-established biological assays. In these investigative studies, both these assays are employed, together with immunostaining for CD31, and a clinical readout, namely flow cytometry, to fully assess post-treated human umbilical vein endothelial cells exposed to both electric field and nonelectric field driven spraying and spinning approaches in comparison to controls. Both these categories of directly jetting or threading living cells have significant implications, from their ability to directly reconstruct living 3D complex architectures. Such architectures have a plethora of applications spanning tissue reconstruction, to their exploration as organoids, spheroids to other complex models, for drug discovery and development, screening, to many other fields, extending to evolving food industry. The studies carried out herein demonstrate post-treated cells are viable and are comparable to controls, as assessed via flow cytometry. Post-treated cells exhibited comparable angiogenic sprouting and formed microtubules as seen via both immunohistochemistry staining with CD31, and the angiogenic assay, similar to controls. Finally, post-processed cells, demonstrated their ability to form a microvasculature indistinguishable to controls, by way of the CAM assay. These results push forward these platform biotechniques, for their exploration in both the biomedical laboratory and clinic.