Fabrication of porous microtent structures toward an in vitro endothelium model

Abstract

This paper reports the fabrication of compliant and permeable thin films with controlled curvature preferable to serve as engineering scaffolds for the production of in vivo like vascular endothelial constructs. A simple fabrication process was developed to fabricate three-dimensional ‘tent’ like microstructures by combining electrospinning and microfabrication. In particular, the ‘microtents’ were created by electrospinning mechanically flexible poly(etherurethane)urea(PEUU) polymer on a microstructured collecting substrate. The shape of the ‘microtents’ can be tuned by adjusting the geometries of microstructures on the collecting substrate and the operational parameters of electrospinning. Mechanical characterization showed the nonlinear mechanical behavior of porous polymeric thin films is similar to those of soft tissues, indicating that these thin films may serve as scaffolds for mimicking local mechanical environment of vascular tissues. Human endothelial cells were successfully cultured on the concave side of the porous thin film, constituting an endothelium model in vitro. This work addresses the need for engineered tissue scaffolds that can mimic both morphological and mechanical environments of natural vascular endothelium. The coupled effects of mechanical, structural and biochemical factors on vascular endothelium can thus be investigated.