Hydrodynamic Assembly of Astrocyte Cells in Conductive Hollow Microfibers
Abstract
The manufacturing of 3D cell scaffoldings provides advantages for modeling diseases and injuries as it enables the creation of physiologically relevant platforms. A triple‐flow microfluidic device is developed to rapidly fabricate alginate/graphene hollow microfibers based on the gelation of alginate induced with CaCl2. This five‐channel microdevice actualizes continuous mild fabrication of hollow fibers under an optimized flow rate ratio of 300:200:100 µL min−1. The polymer solution is 2.5% alginate in 0.1% graphene and a 30% polyethylene glycol solution is used as the sheath and core solutions. The biocompatibility of these conductive microfibers by encapsulating mouse astrocyte cells (C8D1A) within the scaffolds is investigated. The cells can successfully survive both the manufacturing process and prolonged encapsulation for up to 8 days, where there is between 18–53% of live cells on both the alginate microfibers and alginate/graphene microfibers. These unique 3D hollow scaffolds can significantly enhance the available surface area for nutrient transport to the cells. In addition, these conductive hollow scaffolds illustrate unique advantages such as 0.728 cm3 gr−1 porosity and two times more electrical conductivity in comparison to alginate scaffolds. The results confirm the potential of these scaffolds as a microenvironment that supports cell growth.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Pub Defense Publication
- Publication Date
- Nov 12, 2023
- Source ID
- 10.1002/adbi.202300455
Entities
People
- Alexandra G. Borst
- Andrew Makowski
- Lionel J. Ouedraogo
- Marilyn C McNamara
- Mckayla Kling
- Mehran Abbasi Shirsavar
- Mychal J. Trznadel
- Nicole Hashemi
- Reza Montazami
- Vahid Nasirian
Organizations
- Iowa State University
- National Science Foundation
- Office of Naval Research