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Simple,Rapid, and Large-Scale Fabrication of Multi-Branched Hydrogels Based on Viscous Fingering for Cell Culture Applications
Authors:Yoshinobu Utagawa  Kosuke Ino  Kaoru Hiramoto  Hitoshi Shiku
Institution:1. Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Tohoku University, Sendai, 980-8579 Japan

Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University, Sendai, 980-8579 Japan;2. Graduate School of Engineering, Tohoku University, Sendai, 980-8579 Japan;3. Frontier Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Sciences, Tohoku University, Sendai, 980-8577 Japan;4. Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Tohoku University, Sendai, 980-8579 Japan

Abstract:Hydrogels are widely used in cell culture applications. For fabricating tissues and organs, it is essential to produce hydrogels with specific structures. For instance, multiple-branched hydrogels are desirable for the development of network architectures that resemble the biological vascular network. However, existing techniques are inefficient and time-consuming for this application. To address this issue, a simple, rapid, and large-scale fabrication method based on viscous fingering is proposed. This approach utilizes only two plates. To produce a thin solution, a high-viscosity solution is introduced into the space between the plates, and one of the plates is peeled off. During this procedure, the solution's high viscosity results in the formation of multi-branched structures. Using this strategy, 180 mm × 200 mm multi-branched Pluronic F-127 hydrogels are successfully fabricated within 1 min. These structures are used as sacrificial layers for the fabrication of polydimethylsiloxane channels for culturing human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Similarly, multi-branched Matrigel and calcium (Ca)-alginate hydrogel structures are fabricated, and HUVECs are successfully cultured inside the hydrogels. Also, the hydrogels are collected from the plate, while maintaining their structures. The proposed fabrication technique will contribute to the development of network architectures such as vascular structures in tissue engineering.
Keywords:biofabrication  human umbilical endothelial cells  multi-branched hydrogels  Pluronic F-127  viscous fingering
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