Designing Porosity-Tailored Hydrogel Sponges with Controlled Cell Positioning Using Dispersible, Autofragmented Sacrificial Microfibers.

ABSTRACT: Hydrogel encapsulation is a rational approach that facilitates three-dimensional inoculation, arrangement, and culture of living mammalian cells for biomedical applications. However, strategies to form capillary-like conduits in hydrogels remain challenging due to low spatial resolution and difficulty in controlling the location of multiple cell types. Herein, we propose a highly unique process of constructing hydrogel sponges with tailored pore densities using finely fragmented microfibers as sacrificial porogens. A facile production process for automatically fragmented hydrogel microfibers (AF fibers) was developed through micronozzle-assisted hydrodynamic spinning and shear force application during gelation. Hydrogel sponges were prepared using photo-cross-linkable gelatin as the matrix

SUBMITTER: Hori A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11966255 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature