1
|
Liu M, Wu A, Liu J, Huang HW, Li Y, Shi Q, Huang Q, Wang H. Arched microfluidic channel for the promotion of axonal growth performance. iScience 2024; 27:110885. [PMID: 39319262 PMCID: PMC11419798 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.110885] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2024] [Revised: 08/02/2024] [Accepted: 09/02/2024] [Indexed: 09/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Uniformly distributed fluid shear stress can promote axonal growth, aiding in the efficient construction of functional neural interfaces. However, challenges remain in the construction of the micro-scale environment with a uniform fluidic stress distribution. In this study, we designed and fabricated a microfluidic chip with arched-section microfluidic channels (AMCs) to increase primary cortical neuron growth rate and terminal number by constructing a uniform-stress-distributed environment. Inspired by the three-dimensional (3D) microenvironment where cerebrospinal-fluid-contacting neurons are located, the surface curvature of the traditional rectangular-section microfluidic channel (RMC) was adjusted to construct structures with 3D curved surfaces. Compared with those on the RMC chips, the average growth rate of the axons on the AMC chips increased by 8.9% within 19 days, and the average number of terminals increased by 14.9%. This platform provides a structure that can effectively promote neuron growth and has potential in constructing more complex functional neural interfaces.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Menghua Liu
- Intelligent Robotics Institute, School of Mechatronical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Anping Wu
- Intelligent Robotics Institute, School of Mechatronical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Jiaxin Liu
- Intelligent Robotics Institute, School of Mechatronical Engineering, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Hen-Wei Huang
- Laboratory for Translational Engineering, Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Yang Li
- Peking University First Hospital, Xicheng District, Beijing 100034, China
| | - Qing Shi
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Intelligent Robots and Systems, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Qiang Huang
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Intelligent Robots and Systems, Beijing Institute of Technology, Beijing 100081, China
| | - Huaping Wang
- Key Laboratory of Biomimetic Robots and Systems (Beijing Institute of Technology), Ministry of Education, Beijing 100081, China
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Zheng F, Tian R, Lu H, Liang X, Shafiq M, Uchida S, Chen H, Ma M. Droplet Microfluidics Powered Hydrogel Microparticles for Stem Cell-Mediated Biomedical Applications. SMALL (WEINHEIM AN DER BERGSTRASSE, GERMANY) 2024:e2401400. [PMID: 38881184 DOI: 10.1002/smll.202401400] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2024] [Revised: 05/21/2024] [Indexed: 06/18/2024]
Abstract
Stem cell-related therapeutic technologies have garnered significant attention of the research community for their multi-faceted applications. To promote the therapeutic effects of stem cells, the strategies for cell microencapsulation in hydrogel microparticles have been widely explored, as the hydrogel microparticles have the potential to facilitate oxygen diffusion and nutrient transport alongside their ability to promote crucial cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions. Despite their significant promise, there is an acute shortage of automated, standardized, and reproducible platforms to further stem cell-related research. Microfluidics offers an intriguing platform to produce stem cell-laden hydrogel microparticles (SCHMs) owing to its ability to manipulate the fluids at the micrometer scale as well as precisely control the structure and composition of microparticles. In this review, the typical biomaterials and crosslinking methods for microfluidic encapsulation of stem cells as well as the progress in droplet-based microfluidics for the fabrication of SCHMs are outlined. Moreover, the important biomedical applications of SCHMs are highlighted, including regenerative medicine, tissue engineering, scale-up production of stem cells, and microenvironmental simulation for fundamental cell studies. Overall, microfluidics holds tremendous potential for enabling the production of diverse hydrogel microparticles and is worthy for various stem cell-related biomedical applications.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Fangqiao Zheng
- School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, 310024, P. R. China
| | - Ruizhi Tian
- Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200050, P. R. China
- Center of Materials Science and Optoelectronics Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, P. R. China
| | - Hongxu Lu
- Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200050, P. R. China
- Center of Materials Science and Optoelectronics Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, P. R. China
| | - Xiao Liang
- School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, 310024, P. R. China
| | - Muhammad Shafiq
- Innovation Center of NanoMedicine (iCONM), Kawasaki Institute of Industrial Promotion, Kawasaki-ku, Kawasaki, Kanagawa, 210-0821, Japan
| | - Satoshi Uchida
- Innovation Center of NanoMedicine (iCONM), Kawasaki Institute of Industrial Promotion, Kawasaki-ku, Kawasaki, Kanagawa, 210-0821, Japan
- Department of Advanced Nanomedical Engineering, Medical Research Institute, Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU), Tokyo, 113-8510, Japan
| | - Hangrong Chen
- School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, 310024, P. R. China
- Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200050, P. R. China
- Center of Materials Science and Optoelectronics Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, P. R. China
| | - Ming Ma
- School of Chemistry and Materials Science, Hangzhou Institute for Advanced Study, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Hangzhou, 310024, P. R. China
- Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 200050, P. R. China
- Center of Materials Science and Optoelectronics Engineering, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, P. R. China
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Tevlek A, Kecili S, Ozcelik OS, Kulah H, Tekin HC. Spheroid Engineering in Microfluidic Devices. ACS OMEGA 2023; 8:3630-3649. [PMID: 36743071 PMCID: PMC9893254 DOI: 10.1021/acsomega.2c06052] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2022] [Accepted: 12/12/2022] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
Two-dimensional (2D) cell culture techniques are commonly employed to investigate biophysical and biochemical cellular responses. However, these culture methods, having monolayer cells, lack cell-cell and cell-extracellular matrix interactions, mimicking the cell microenvironment and multicellular organization. Three-dimensional (3D) cell culture methods enable equal transportation of nutrients, gas, and growth factors among cells and their microenvironment. Therefore, 3D cultures show similar cell proliferation, apoptosis, and differentiation properties to in vivo. A spheroid is defined as self-assembled 3D cell aggregates, and it closely mimics a cell microenvironment in vitro thanks to cell-cell/matrix interactions, which enables its use in several important applications in medical and clinical research. To fabricate a spheroid, conventional methods such as liquid overlay, hanging drop, and so forth are available. However, these labor-intensive methods result in low-throughput fabrication and uncontrollable spheroid sizes. On the other hand, microfluidic methods enable inexpensive and rapid fabrication of spheroids with high precision. Furthermore, fabricated spheroids can also be cultured in microfluidic devices for controllable cell perfusion, simulation of fluid shear effects, and mimicking of the microenvironment-like in vivo conditions. This review focuses on recent microfluidic spheroid fabrication techniques and also organ-on-a-chip applications of spheroids, which are used in different disease modeling and drug development studies.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Atakan Tevlek
- METU
MEMS Research and Application Center, Ankara 06800, Turkey
| | - Seren Kecili
- The
Department of Bioengineering, Izmir Institute
of Technology, Urla, Izmir 35430, Turkey
| | - Ozge S. Ozcelik
- The
Department of Bioengineering, Izmir Institute
of Technology, Urla, Izmir 35430, Turkey
| | - Haluk Kulah
- METU
MEMS Research and Application Center, Ankara 06800, Turkey
- The
Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Middle East Technical University, Ankara 06800, Turkey
| | - H. Cumhur Tekin
- METU
MEMS Research and Application Center, Ankara 06800, Turkey
- The
Department of Bioengineering, Izmir Institute
of Technology, Urla, Izmir 35430, Turkey
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Huang X, Wang Y, Wang T, Wen F, Liu S, Oudeng G. Recent advances in engineering hydrogels for niche biomimicking and hematopoietic stem cell culturing. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2022; 10:1049965. [PMID: 36507253 PMCID: PMC9730123 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2022.1049965] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2022] [Accepted: 11/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) provide a life-long supply of haemopoietic cells and are indispensable for clinical transplantation in the treatment of malignant hematological diseases. Clinical applications require vast quantities of HSCs with maintained stemness characteristics. Meeting this demand poses often insurmountable challenges for traditional culture methods. Creating a supportive artificial microenvironment for the culture of HSCs, which allows the expansion of the cells while maintaining their stemness, is becoming a new solution for the provision of these rare multipotent HSCs. Hydrogels with good biocompatibility, excellent hydrophilicity, tunable biochemical and biophysical properties have been applied in mimicking the hematopoietic niche for the efficient expansion of HSCs. This review focuses on recent progress in the use of hydrogels in this specialized application. Advanced biomimetic strategies use for the creation of an artificial haemopoietic niche are discussed, advances in combined use of hydrogel matrices and microfluidics, including the emerging organ-on-a-chip technology, are summarized. We also provide a brief description of novel stimulus-responsive hydrogels that are used to establish an intelligent dynamic cell microenvironment. Finally, current challenges and future perspectives of engineering hydrogels for HSC biomedicine are explored.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xiaochan Huang
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Shenzhen Children’s Hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Yuting Wang
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Shenzhen Children’s Hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
- Shenzhen Children’s Hospital, China Medical University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Tianci Wang
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Shenzhen Children’s Hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Feiqiu Wen
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Shenzhen Children’s Hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
- Shenzhen Children’s Hospital, China Medical University, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Sixi Liu
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Shenzhen Children’s Hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| | - Gerile Oudeng
- Department of Hematology and Oncology, Shenzhen Children’s Hospital, Shenzhen, Guangdong, China
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Wu L, Guo Z, Liu W. Surface behaviors of droplet manipulation in microfluidics devices. Adv Colloid Interface Sci 2022; 308:102770. [PMID: 36113310 DOI: 10.1016/j.cis.2022.102770] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2022] [Revised: 08/30/2022] [Accepted: 08/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
Abstract
In recent years, the rapid development of microfluidic technology has caused a revolutionary impact in the fields of chemistry, medicine, and life sciences. Also, droplet control is one of the most important technologies in the field of microfluidics. In order to achieve different degrees of droplet transport, the dynamic balance of the competing processes of droplet driving force and fluid resistance should be controlled to achieve good selectivity of droplet transport. Here, we focus on the principles of droplet transport in microfluidic devices, including the driving forces for droplet transport in fluids and the effects of transport properties on droplet transport. After that, the effects of external fields on the directional transport of droplets and the advantages and disadvantages of each external field in droplet transport are discussed in detail. Finally, the applications and challenges of droplet microfluidics in chemical, biomedical, and mechanical systems are comprehensively introduced.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Linshan Wu
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for the Green Preparation and Application of Functional Materials, Hubei University, Wuhan 430062, People's Republic of China
| | - Zhiguang Guo
- Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for the Green Preparation and Application of Functional Materials, Hubei University, Wuhan 430062, People's Republic of China; State Key Laboratory of Solid Lubrication, Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, People's Republic of China.
| | - Weimin Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Solid Lubrication, Lanzhou Institute of Chemical Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, People's Republic of China
| |
Collapse
|