title: Self-assembly of tissue spheroids on polymeric membranes.
abstract: In this study, multicellular tissue spheroids were fabricated on polymeric membranes in order to accelerate the fusion process and tissue formation. To this purpose, tissue spheroids composed of three different cell types, myoblasts, fibroblasts and neural cells, were formed and cultured on agarose and membranes of polycaprolactone (PCL) and chitosan (CHT). Membranes prepared by a phase-inversion technique display different physicochemical, mechanical and transport properties, which can affect the fusion process. The membranes accelerated the fusion process of a pair of spheroids with respect to the inert substrate. In this process, a critical role is played by the membrane properties, especially by their mechanical characteristics and oxygen and carbon dioxide mass transfer. The rate of fusion was quantified and found to be similar for fibroblast, myoblast and neural tissue spheroids on membranes, which completed the fusion within 3 days. These spheroids underwent faster fusion and maturation on PCL membrane than on agarose, the rate of fusion being proportional to the value of oxygen and carbon dioxide permeances and elastic characteristics. Consequently, tissue spheroids on the membranes expressed high biological activity in terms of oxygen uptake, making them more suitable as building blocks in the fabrication of tissues and organs. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
authors.affiliation: Institute on Membrane Technology, National Research Council of Italy, ITM-CNR, University of Calabria, Rende, Italy.|Department of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, University of Calabria, Rende, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonietta
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Messina
authors.affiliation: Institute on Membrane Technology, National Research Council of Italy, ITM-CNR, University of Calabria, Rende, Italy.
authors.forename: Sabrina
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Morelli
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA.|Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA.
authors.forename: Gabor
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Forgacs
authors.affiliation: Institute on Membrane Technology, National Research Council of Italy, ITM-CNR, University of Calabria, Rende, Italy.
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Barbieri
authors.affiliation: Institute on Membrane Technology, National Research Council of Italy, ITM-CNR, University of Calabria, Rende, Italy.|Department of Environmental and Chemical Engineering, University of Calabria, Rende, Italy.
authors.forename: Enrico
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Drioli
authors.affiliation: Institute on Membrane Technology, National Research Council of Italy, ITM-CNR, University of Calabria, Rende, Italy.
authors.forename: Loredana
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: De Bartolo
mesh_terms: D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D048271:Chitosan / Q000737:chemistry*; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D032446:Myoblasts / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D009417:Nerve Tissue / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*; D011091:Polyesters / Q000737:chemistry*; D018874:Spheroids, Cellular / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism*
chemical_list: D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D011091:Polyesters; C016240:polycaprolactone; D048271:Chitosan
keywords: fusion; polymeric membranes; properties; self-assembly; tissue engineering; tissue spheroids