Abstract
Hydrogels are widely used materials for cardiac tissue engineering. However, once the cells are encapsulated within hydrogels, mass transfer to the core of the engineered tissue is limited, and cell viability is compromised. Here, we report on the development of a channeled ECM-based nanofibrous hydrogel for engineering vascularized cardiac tissues. An omentum hydrogel was mixed with cardiac cells, patterned to create channels and closed, and then seeded with endothelial cells to form open cellular lumens. A mathematical model was used to evaluate the necessity of the channels for maintaining cell viability and the true potential of the vascularized hydrogel to form a viable cardiac patch was studied.
Highlights
Hydrogel scaffolds are widely used materials in tissue engineering [1]
Endothelial cells and pericytes are co-cultured with parenchymal cells and angiogenic factors
The tissue was washed with a buffer containing 50 mM Tris containing 1% (v/v) triton-X100, subsequently with 50 mM Tris buffer, three times with phosphate buffered saline (PBS) and three times with sterile double distilled water (DDW)
Summary
Hydrogel scaffolds are widely used materials in tissue engineering [1] This form of material encapsulates the cells, and as opposed to macroporous scaffolds, where the cells are seeded into open pores and may leak out, hydrogel provide real 3D support by 3D cell wrapping [2,3,4,5]. This efficient encapsulation may provide the cells with instructive cues for tissue assembly and survival, several challenges still remain. Network formation can take a long period of time, risking the survival of the core cells
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