Non-swellable F127-DA hydrogel with concave microwells for formation of uniform-sized vascular spheroids.

ABSTRACT: Hydrogels with concave microwells are one of the simplest means to obtain uniform-sized cellular spheroids. However, the inherent swelling of hydrogels leads to reduced mechanical strength and thus deforms the structure of the microwells. In this study, we developed a hydrogel with microwells for formation of vascular spheroids via non-swellable di-acrylated Pluronic F127 (F127-DA), which showed higher mechanical strength than a conventional di-acrylated polyethylene glycol (PEG-DA) hydrogel. The uniform-sized vascular spheroids were spontaneously generated by human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and fibroblasts in the microwells. The endothelial functions of vascular spheroids were about 1-fold higher than those in two-dimensional (2D) culture, as indicated by secretion

SUBMITTER: Li Y 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9058638 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature