Cell patches are widely used for healing injuries on the surfaces or interfaces of tissues such as those of epidermis and myocardium. Here we report a novel type of porous scaffolds made of poly(D,L-lactic-co-glycolic acid) for fabricating cell patches. The scaffolds have a single layer of spherical pores arranged in a unique hexagonal pattern and are therefore referred to as "scaffolds with a hexagonal array of interconnected pores (SHAIPs)". SHAIPs contain both uniform pores and interconnecting windows that can facilitate the exchange of biomacromolecules, ensure homogeneous cell seeding, and promote cell migration. As a proof-of-concept demonstration, we have created skeletal muscle patches with a thickness of approximately 150 μm using SHAIPs. The myoblasts seeded in the scaffolds maintained high viability and were able to differentiate into multi-nucleated myotubes. Moreover, neovasculature could efficiently develop into the patches upon subcutaneous implantation in vivo.
Keywords: C2C12 myoblasts; cell patches; photoacoustic microscopy; porous scaffolds; regenerative medicine; tissue engineering.