Combined Technologies for Microfabricating Elastomeric Cardiac Tissue Engineering Scaffolds

Abstract

Polymer scaffolds that direct elongation and orientation of cultured cells can enable tissue engineered muscle to act as a mechanically functional unit. We combined micromolding and microablation technologies to create muscle tissue engineering scaffolds from the biodegradable elastomer poly(glycerol sebacate). These scaffolds exhibited well defined surface patterns and pores and robust elastomeric tensile mechanical properties. Cultured C2C12 muscle cells penetrated the pores to form spatially controlled engineered tissues. Scanning electron and confocal microscopy revealed muscle cell orientation in a preferential direction, parallel to micromolded gratings and long axes of microablated anisotropic pores, with significant individual and interactive effects of gratings and pore design.Micropatterning and microablation technologies were combined in the context of the biodegradable elastomer PGS to create a muscle tissue engineering scaffold. Scaffolds enabled cultured muscle cells to preferentially align in parallel to linear gratings and pore edges, with significant individual and interactive effects of surface topography and anisotropic pore design. Copyright © 2010 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.