Polymer-Salt Aqueous Two-Phase System (ATPS) Micro-Droplets for Cell Encapsulation

Sci Rep. 2019 Oct 29;9(1):15561. doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-51958-4.

Abstract

Biosample encapsulation is a critical step in a wide range of biomedical and bioengineering applications. Aqueous two-phase system (ATPS) droplets have been recently introduced and showed a great promise to the biological separation and encapsulation due to their excellent biocompatibility. This study shows for the first time the passive generation of salt-based ATPS microdroplets and their biocompatibility test. We used two ATPS including polymer/polymer (polyethylene glycol (PEG)/dextran (DEX)) and polymer/salt (PEG/Magnesium sulfate) for droplet generation in a flow-focusing geometry. Droplet morphologies and monodispersity in both systems are studied. The PEG/salt system showed an excellent capability of uniform droplet formation with a wide range of sizes (20-60 μm) which makes it a suitable candidate for encapsulation of biological samples. Therefore, we examined the potential application of the PEG/salt system for encapsulating human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). A cell viability test was conducted on MgSO4 solutions at various concentrations and our results showed an adequate cell survival. The findings of this research suggest that the polymer/salt ATPS could be a biocompatible all-aqueous platform for cell encapsulation.

MeSH terms

  • Biocompatible Materials / pharmacology*
  • Cell Encapsulation / methods*
  • Cell Survival / drug effects
  • Dextrans / pharmacology
  • Endothelial Cells / drug effects*
  • Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells
  • Humans
  • Lab-On-A-Chip Devices
  • Polyethylene Glycols / pharmacology
  • Polymers / pharmacology
  • Sodium Chloride / chemistry
  • Water / chemistry*

Substances

  • Biocompatible Materials
  • Dextrans
  • Polymers
  • Water
  • Polyethylene Glycols
  • Sodium Chloride