Small-artery-mimicking multi-layered 3D co-culture in a self-folding porous graphene-based film

Nanoscale Horiz. 2023 Oct 23;8(11):1529-1536. doi: 10.1039/d3nh00304c.

Abstract

In vitro vessel-mimicking models have been spotlighted as a powerful tool for investigating cellular behaviours in vascular development and diseases. However, it is still challenging to create micro-scale tubular tissues while mimicking the structural features of small arteries. Here, we propose a 3D culture model of small vascular tissue using a self-folding graphene-based porous film. Vascular endothelial cells were encapsulated within the self-folding film to create a cellular construct with a controlled curvature radius ranging from 10 to 100 μm, which is comparable to the size of a human arteriole. Additionally, vascular endothelial cells and smooth muscle cells were separately co-cultured on the inner and outer surfaces of the folded film, respectively. The porous wall worked as a permeable barrier between them, affecting the cell-cell communications like the extracellular layer in the artery wall. Thus, the culture model recapitulates the structural features of a small artery and will help us better understand intercellular communications at the artery wall in physiological and pathological conditions.

MeSH terms

  • Arteries
  • Coculture Techniques
  • Endothelial Cells
  • Graphite*
  • Humans
  • Porosity
  • Tissue Engineering*

Substances

  • Graphite