Fabrication of pillared PLGA microvessel scaffold using femtosecond laser ablation

Abstract

Hsiao-Wei Wang1, Chung-Wei Cheng2, Ching-Wen Li3, Han-Wei Chang4, Ping-Han Wu2, Gou-Jen Wang 1Graduate Institute of Biomedical Engineering, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan, 2Laser Application Technology Center, Industrial Technology Research Institute, Tainan County, Taiwan, 3Department of Mechanical Engineering, 4Department of Chemical Engineering, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan, People’s Republic of ChinaAbstract: One of the persistent challenges confronting tissue engineering is the lack of intrinsic microvessels for the transportation of nutrients and metabolites. An artificial microvascular system could be a feasible solution to this problem. In this study, the femtosecond laser ablation technique was implemented for the fabrication of pillared microvessel scaffolds of polylactic-co-glycolic acid (PLGA). This novel scaffold facilitates implementation of the conventional cell seeding process. The progress of cell growth can be observed in vitro by optical microscopy. The problems of becoming milky or completely opaque with the conventional PLGA scaffold after cell seeding can be resolved. In this study, PLGA microvessel scaffolds consisting of 47 µm × 80 µm pillared branches were produced. Results of cell culturing of bovine endothelial cells demonstrate that the cells adhere well and grow to surround each branch of the proposed pillared microvessel networks.Keywords: femtosecond laser ablation, pillared microvessel scaffold, polylactic-co-glycolic acid, bovine endothelial cells