Three-dimensional cartilage tissue regeneration system harnessing goblet-shaped microwells containing biocompatible hydrogel

Biofabrication. 2019 Dec 23;12(1):015019. doi: 10.1088/1758-5090/ab5d3e.

Abstract

Differentiation of stem cells into chondrocytes has been studied for the engineering of cartilage tissue. However, stem cells cultured two-dimensionally have limited ability to differentiate into chondrocytes, which led to the development of three-dimensional culture systems. A recently developed microtechnological method uses microwells as a tool to form uniformly sized spheroids. In this study, we fabricated an array (10 × 10) of goblet-shaped microwells based on polydimethylsiloxane for spheroid culture. A central processing unit (CPU) was used to form holes, and metallic beads were used to form hemispherical microwell geometry. The holes were filled with Pluronic F-127 to prevent cells from sinking through the holes and allowing the cells to form spheroids. Viability and chondrogenic differentiation of human adipose-derived stem cells were assessed. The fabrication method using a micro-pin mold and metallic beads is easy and cost-effective. Our three-dimensional spheroid culture system optimizes the efficient differentiation of cells and has various applications, such as drug delivery, cell therapy, and tissue engineering.

Publication types

  • Evaluation Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Cartilage / chemistry
  • Cartilage / cytology*
  • Cell Differentiation
  • Chondrocytes / chemistry
  • Chondrocytes / cytology
  • Chondrogenesis
  • Goblet Cells / chemistry
  • Goblet Cells / cytology
  • Hydrogels / chemistry
  • Spheroids, Cellular / chemistry
  • Spheroids, Cellular / cytology
  • Stem Cells / chemistry
  • Stem Cells / cytology
  • Tissue Engineering / instrumentation
  • Tissue Engineering / methods*
  • Tissue Scaffolds / chemistry

Substances

  • Hydrogels