title: SAM-based cell transfer to photopatterned hydrogels for microengineering vascular-like structures.
abstract: A major challenge in tissue engineering is to reproduce the native 3D microvascular architecture fundamental for in vivo functions. Current approaches still lack a network of perfusable vessels with native 3D structural organization. Here we present a new method combining self-assembled monolayer (SAM)-based cell transfer and gelatin methacrylate hydrogel photopatterning techniques for microengineering vascular structures. Human umbilical vein cell (HUVEC) transfer from oligopeptide SAM-coated surfaces to the hydrogel revealed two SAM desorption mechanisms: photoinduced and electrochemically triggered. The former, occurs concomitantly to hydrogel photocrosslinking, and resulted in efficient (>97%) monolayer transfer. The latter, prompted by additional potential application, preserved cell morphology and maintained high transfer efficiency of VE-cadherin positive monolayers over longer culture periods. This approach was also applied to transfer HUVECs to 3D geometrically defined vascular-like structures in hydrogels, which were then maintained in perfusion culture for 15 days. As a step toward more complex constructs, a cell-laden hydrogel layer was photopatterned around the endothelialized channel to mimic the vascular smooth muscle structure of distal arterioles. This study shows that the coupling of the SAM-based cell transfer and hydrogel photocrosslinking could potentially open up new avenues in engineering more complex, vascularized tissue constructs for regenerative medicine and tissue engineering applications.
authors.affiliation: Center for Biomedical Engineering, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA.
authors.forename: Nasser
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sadr
authors.forename: Mojun
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Tatsuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Osaki
authors.forename: Takahiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kakegawa
authors.forename: Yunzhi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Matteo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Moretti
authors.forename: Junji
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fukuda
authors.forename: Ali
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Khademhosseini
mesh_terms: D000595:Amino Acid Sequence; D001807:Blood Vessel Prosthesis; D061307:Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells / Q000166:cytology; D006801:Humans; D020100:Hydrogels / Q000737:chemistry*; D008689:Methacrylates / Q000737:chemistry*; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D009842:Oligopeptides / Q000737:chemistry*; D055668:Photochemical Processes; D023822:Tissue Engineering / Q000379:methods*; D054457:Tissue Scaffolds / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D020100:Hydrogels; D008689:Methacrylates; D009842:Oligopeptides