Details
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 015004 |
| Journal | BIOFABRICATION |
| Volume | 15 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| Publication status | Published - 27 Oct 2022 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Abstract
The bioengineering of artificial tissue constructs requires special attention to their fast vascularization to provide cells with sufficient nutrients and oxygen. We addressed the challenge ofin vitrovascularization by employing a combined approach of cell sheet engineering, 3D printing, and cellular self-organization in dynamic maturation culture. A confluent cell sheet of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) was detached from a thermoresponsive cell culture substrate and transferred onto a 3D-printed, perfusable tubular scaffold using a custom-made cell sheet rolling device. Under indirect co-culture conditions with human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs), the cell sheet-covered vessel mimic embedded in a collagen gel together with additional singularized HUVECs started sprouting into the surrounding gel, while the suspended cells around the tube self-organized and formed a dense lumen-containing 3D vascular network throughout the gel. The HDFs cultured below the HUVEC-containing cell culture insert provided angiogenic support to the HUVECs via molecular crosstalk without competing for space with the HUVECs or inducing rapid collagen matrix remodeling. The resulting vascular network remained viable under these conditions throughout the 3 week cell culture period. This static indirect co-culture setup was further transferred to dynamic flow conditions, where the medium perfusion was enabled via two independently addressable perfusion circuits equipped with two different cell culture chambers, one hosting the HDFs and the other hosting the HUVEC-laden collagen gel. Using this system, we successfully connected the collagen-embedded HUVEC culture to a dynamic medium flow, and within 1 week of the dynamic cell culture, we detected angiogenic sprouting and dense microvascular network formation via HUVEC self-organization in the hydrogel. Our approach of combining a 3D-printed and cell sheet-covered vascular precursor that retained its sprouting capacity together with the self-assembling HUVECs in a dynamic perfusion culture resulted in a vascular-like 3D network, which is a critical step toward the long-term vascularization of bioengineeredin vitrotissue constructs.
Keywords
- angiogenesis, cell sheet engineering, perfusion cell culture, thermoresponsive surface, vascularization, vat photopolymerization
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology(all)
- Biotechnology
- Chemical Engineering(all)
- Bioengineering
- Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology(all)
- Biochemistry
- Materials Science(all)
- Biomaterials
- Engineering(all)
- Biomedical Engineering
Cite this
- Standard
- Harvard
- Apa
- Vancouver
- BibTeX
- RIS
In: BIOFABRICATION, Vol. 15, No. 1, 015004, 27.10.2022.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - In vitro vascularization of hydrogel-based tissue constructs via a combined approach of cell sheet engineering and dynamic perfusion cell culture
AU - Elomaa, Laura
AU - Lindner, Marcus
AU - Leben, Ruth
AU - Niesner, Raluca
AU - Weinhart, Marie
N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2022 The Author(s). Published by IOP Publishing Ltd.
PY - 2022/10/27
Y1 - 2022/10/27
N2 - The bioengineering of artificial tissue constructs requires special attention to their fast vascularization to provide cells with sufficient nutrients and oxygen. We addressed the challenge ofin vitrovascularization by employing a combined approach of cell sheet engineering, 3D printing, and cellular self-organization in dynamic maturation culture. A confluent cell sheet of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) was detached from a thermoresponsive cell culture substrate and transferred onto a 3D-printed, perfusable tubular scaffold using a custom-made cell sheet rolling device. Under indirect co-culture conditions with human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs), the cell sheet-covered vessel mimic embedded in a collagen gel together with additional singularized HUVECs started sprouting into the surrounding gel, while the suspended cells around the tube self-organized and formed a dense lumen-containing 3D vascular network throughout the gel. The HDFs cultured below the HUVEC-containing cell culture insert provided angiogenic support to the HUVECs via molecular crosstalk without competing for space with the HUVECs or inducing rapid collagen matrix remodeling. The resulting vascular network remained viable under these conditions throughout the 3 week cell culture period. This static indirect co-culture setup was further transferred to dynamic flow conditions, where the medium perfusion was enabled via two independently addressable perfusion circuits equipped with two different cell culture chambers, one hosting the HDFs and the other hosting the HUVEC-laden collagen gel. Using this system, we successfully connected the collagen-embedded HUVEC culture to a dynamic medium flow, and within 1 week of the dynamic cell culture, we detected angiogenic sprouting and dense microvascular network formation via HUVEC self-organization in the hydrogel. Our approach of combining a 3D-printed and cell sheet-covered vascular precursor that retained its sprouting capacity together with the self-assembling HUVECs in a dynamic perfusion culture resulted in a vascular-like 3D network, which is a critical step toward the long-term vascularization of bioengineeredin vitrotissue constructs.
AB - The bioengineering of artificial tissue constructs requires special attention to their fast vascularization to provide cells with sufficient nutrients and oxygen. We addressed the challenge ofin vitrovascularization by employing a combined approach of cell sheet engineering, 3D printing, and cellular self-organization in dynamic maturation culture. A confluent cell sheet of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) was detached from a thermoresponsive cell culture substrate and transferred onto a 3D-printed, perfusable tubular scaffold using a custom-made cell sheet rolling device. Under indirect co-culture conditions with human dermal fibroblasts (HDFs), the cell sheet-covered vessel mimic embedded in a collagen gel together with additional singularized HUVECs started sprouting into the surrounding gel, while the suspended cells around the tube self-organized and formed a dense lumen-containing 3D vascular network throughout the gel. The HDFs cultured below the HUVEC-containing cell culture insert provided angiogenic support to the HUVECs via molecular crosstalk without competing for space with the HUVECs or inducing rapid collagen matrix remodeling. The resulting vascular network remained viable under these conditions throughout the 3 week cell culture period. This static indirect co-culture setup was further transferred to dynamic flow conditions, where the medium perfusion was enabled via two independently addressable perfusion circuits equipped with two different cell culture chambers, one hosting the HDFs and the other hosting the HUVEC-laden collagen gel. Using this system, we successfully connected the collagen-embedded HUVEC culture to a dynamic medium flow, and within 1 week of the dynamic cell culture, we detected angiogenic sprouting and dense microvascular network formation via HUVEC self-organization in the hydrogel. Our approach of combining a 3D-printed and cell sheet-covered vascular precursor that retained its sprouting capacity together with the self-assembling HUVECs in a dynamic perfusion culture resulted in a vascular-like 3D network, which is a critical step toward the long-term vascularization of bioengineeredin vitrotissue constructs.
KW - angiogenesis
KW - cell sheet engineering
KW - perfusion cell culture
KW - thermoresponsive surface
KW - vascularization
KW - vat photopolymerization
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85140932803&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1088/1758-5090/ac9433
DO - 10.1088/1758-5090/ac9433
M3 - Article
C2 - 36300786
AN - SCOPUS:85140932803
VL - 15
JO - BIOFABRICATION
JF - BIOFABRICATION
SN - 1758-5082
IS - 1
M1 - 015004
ER -