Premium
High‐throughput fabrication of vascularized adipose microtissues for 3D bioprinting
Author(s) -
Benmeridja Lara,
De Moor Lise,
De Maere Elisabeth,
Vanlauwe Florian,
Ryx Michelle,
Tytgat Liesbeth,
Vercruysse Chris,
Dubruel Peter,
Van Vlierberghe Sandra,
Blondeel Phillip,
Declercq Heidi
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
journal of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.835
H-Index - 72
eISSN - 1932-7005
pISSN - 1932-6254
DOI - 10.1002/term.3051
Subject(s) - spheroid , adipose tissue , 3d bioprinting , adipogenesis , transplantation , tissue engineering , microbiology and biotechnology , biomedical engineering , umbilical vein , in vitro , chemistry , in vivo , biology , medicine , surgery , biochemistry
For patients with soft tissue defects, repair with autologous in vitro engineered adipose tissue could be a promising alternative to current surgical therapies. A volume‐persistent engineered adipose tissue construct under in vivo conditions can only be achieved by early vascularization after transplantation. The combination of 3D bioprinting technology with self‐assembling microvascularized units as building blocks can potentially answer the need for a microvascular network. In the present study, co‐culture spheroids combining adipose‐derived stem cells (ASC) and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) were created with an ideal geometry for bioprinting. When applying the favourable seeding technique and condition, compact viable spheroids were obtained, demonstrating high adipogenic differentiation and capillary‐like network formation after 7 and 14 days of culture, as shown by live/dead analysis, immunohistochemistry and RT‐qPCR. Moreover, we were able to successfully 3D bioprint the encapsulated spheroids, resulting in compact viable spheroids presenting capillary‐like structures, lipid droplets and spheroid outgrowth after 14 days of culture. This is the first study that generates viable high‐throughput (pre‐)vascularized adipose microtissues as building blocks for bioprinting applications using a novel ASC/HUVEC co‐culture spheroid model, which enables both adipogenic differentiation while simultaneously supporting the formation of prevascular‐like structures within engineered tissues in vitro.