Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of Ferrara, Via F. Mortara 17/19, Ferrara 44121, Italy.
Adv Drug Deliv Rev. 2013 Nov;65(11-12):1533-55. doi: 10.1016/j.addr.2013.07.021. Epub 2013 Aug 8.
The entrapment of cells into hydrogel microdevice in form of microparticles or microfibers is one of the most appealing and useful tools for cell-based therapy and tissue engineering. Cell encapsulation procedures allow the immunoisolation of cells from the surrounding environment, after their transplantation and the maintenance of the normal cellular physiology. Factors affecting the efficacy of microdevices, which include size, size distribution, morphology, and porosity are all highly dependent on the method of preparation. In this respect, microfluidic based methods offer a promising strategy to fabricate highly uniform and morphologically controlled microdevices with tunable chemical and mechanical properties. In the current review, various cell microencapsulation procedures, based on a microfluidics, are critically analyzed with a special focus on the effect of the procedure on the morphology, viability and functions of the embedded cells. Moreover, a brief introduction about the optimal characteristics of microdevice intended for cell encapsulation, together with the currently used materials for the production is reported. A further challenging application of microfluidics for the development of "living microchip" is also presented. Finally, the limitations, challenging and future work on the microfluidic approach are also discussed.
细胞被包埋到水凝胶微器件中形成微球或微纤维，这是用于基于细胞的治疗和组织工程的最吸引人且最有用的工具之一。细胞包封程序允许在细胞移植后将细胞从周围环境中免疫隔离，并维持正常的细胞生理学。影响微器件功效的因素，包括大小、大小分布、形态和孔隙率，都高度依赖于制备方法。在这方面，基于微流控的方法提供了一种很有前途的策略，可以制造具有可调化学和机械性能的高度均匀和形态可控的微器件。在当前的综述中，我们批判性地分析了基于微流控的各种细胞微封装程序，特别关注该程序对嵌入细胞的形态、活力和功能的影响。此外，还简要介绍了用于细胞封装的微器件的最佳特性，以及目前用于生产的材料。还介绍了微流控在开发“活体微芯片”方面的另一个具有挑战性的应用。最后，还讨论了微流控方法的局限性、挑战和未来工作。
