title: Microfluidics-assisted rapid generation of tubular cell-laden microgel inside glass capillaries.
abstract: Drug screening using engineered blood vessels (EBVs) faces considerable barriers in approximating the conditions of an in vivo environment. To address this issue, we have introduced a microfluidic system for cell-laden tubular microgels. N-Carboxyethyl chitosan crosslinked with oxidized dextran was used for in situ gelable tubular scaffolds. The microfluidic system consisted of four glass capillaries that generated a coaxial flow of pre-polymer and phosphate buffered solutions. It rapidly produced cell-laden tubular microgels inside glass capillaries. The mechanical strength of the tubular microgels was suitable for their application as EBVs, with a maximum Young's modulus of 12.2 ± 1.9 kPa. In vitro cell studies using human umbilical vein endothelial cells verified the biocompatibility and non-cytotoxicity of the gelation and fabrication process. Thus, in situ gelable cell-laden tubular microgels can be a potential platform for screening drugs to treat blood vessel diseases.
authors.affiliation: Hemorheology Research Institute, Chonbuk National University, Jeonju, 561-756, South Korea, jmjung@jbnu.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Jinmu
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jung
authors.forename: Keekyoung
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Seuk Cheun
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Jonghyun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Oh
mesh_terms: D002196:Capillaries; D018914:Cells, Immobilized; D042783:Endothelial Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D005782:Gels; D005898:Glass; D006801:Humans; D044085:Microfluidics / Q000379:methods*; D008962:Models, Theoretical
chemical_list: D005782:Gels