title: Fabrication of cell-laden macroporous biodegradable hydrogels with tunable porosities and pore sizes.
abstract: In this work, we investigated a cytocompatible particulate leaching method for the fabrication of cell-laden macroporous hydrogels. We used dehydrated and uncrosslinked gelatin microspheres as leachable porogens to create macroporous oligo(poly(ethylene glycol) fumarate) hydrogels. Varying gelatin content and size resulted in a wide range of porosities and pore sizes, respectively. Encapsulated mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) exhibited high viability immediately following the fabrication process, and culture of cell-laden hydrogels revealed improved cell viability with increasing porosity. Additionally, the osteogenic potential of the encapsulated MSCs was evaluated over 16 days. Overall, this study presents a robust method for the preparation of cell-laden macroporous hydrogels with desired porosity and pore size for tissue engineering applications.
authors.affiliation: Department of Bioengineering, Rice University , Houston, Texas.
authors.forename: Limin
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Steven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Johnny
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lam
authors.forename: F Kurtis
authors.initials: FK
authors.lastname: Kasper
authors.forename: Antonios G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Mikos
mesh_terms: D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D002454:Cell Differentiation / Q000187:drug effects; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D004247:DNA / Q000378:metabolism; D004058:Diffusion; D005615:Freezing; D005650:Fumarates / Q000494:pharmacology; D005780:Gelatin / Q000494:pharmacology; D020100:Hydrogels / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D059630:Mesenchymal Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects; D008863:Microspheres; D010012:Osteogenesis / Q000187:drug effects; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols / Q000494:pharmacology; D016062:Porosity; D011916:Rats, Inbred F344; D023822:Tissue Engineering / Q000379:methods*; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D005650:Fumarates; D020100:Hydrogels; C508734:poly(ethylene glycol fumarate); D014867:Water; D011092:Polyethylene Glycols; D005780:Gelatin; D004247:DNA; D000469:Alkaline Phosphatase; D002118:Calcium