2134/24945
Tao Sun
Tao
Sun
Peter S. Donoghue
Peter S.
Donoghue
Jennifer R. Higginson
Jennifer R.
Higginson
Nikolaj Gadegaard
Nikolaj
Gadegaard
Susan C. Barnett
Susan C.
Barnett
Mathis O. Riehle
Mathis O.
Riehle
The interactions of astrocytes and fibroblasts with defined pore structures in static and perfusion cultures
Loughborough University
2017
untagged
Chemical Engineering not elsewhere classified
2017-05-12 10:27:14
Journal contribution
https://repository.lboro.ac.uk/articles/journal_contribution/The_interactions_of_astrocytes_and_fibroblasts_with_defined_pore_structures_in_static_and_perfusion_cultures/9241478
Open pores to maintain nutrient diffusion and waste removal after cell colonization are crucial for the
successful application of constructs based on assembled membranes, in our case tubular scaffolds made of
3-polycaprolactone (PCL), for use in tissue engineering. Due to the complex three-dimensional structure
and large size of such scaffolds needed for transplantable tissues, it is difficult to investigate the cellepore
interactions in situ. Therefore miniaturized bioreactors inside Petri dishes (30mmin diameter), containing
porous PCL or poly-dimethylsiloxane (PDMS) membranes, were developed to allow the interactions of
different cells with defined pores to be investigated in situ during both static and perfusion cultures.
Investigation of two different cell types (fibroblasts and cortical astrocytes) and how they interact with
a range of pores (100e350 mm in diameter) for up to 50 days indicated that the cells either ‘covered’ or
‘bridged’ the pores. Three distinct behaviors were observed in the way cortical astrocytes interacted with
pores,while fibroblasts were able to quickly bridge the pores based on consistent “joint efforts”. Our studies
demonstrate that the distinct pore sealing behaviors of both cell types were influenced by pore size, initial
cell density and culture period, but not by medium perfusion within the range of shear forces investigated.
These findings formimportant basic data about the usability of pores within scaffolds that could inform the
design and fabrication of suitable scaffolds for various applications in tissue engineering.