Guo Weijin, Chen Zejingqiu, Feng Zitao, Li Haonan, Zhang Muyang, Zhang Huiru, Cui Xin
Department of Biomedical Engineering, Shantou University, Shantou 515063, China.
Department of Biology, Shantou University, Shantou 515063, China.
Micromachines (Basel). 2022 Sep 19;13(9):1555. doi: 10.3390/mi13091555.
At present, there is an increasing need to mimic the in vivo micro-environment in the culture of cells and tissues in micro-tissue engineering. Concave microwells are becoming increasingly popular since they can provide a micro-environment that is closer to the in vivo environment compared to traditional microwells, which can facilitate the culture of cells and tissues. Here, we will summarize the fabrication methods of concave microwells, as well as their applications in micro-tissue engineering. The fabrication methods of concave microwells include traditional methods, such as lithography and etching, thermal reflow of photoresist, laser ablation, precision-computerized numerical control (CNC) milling, and emerging technologies, such as surface tension methods, the deformation of soft membranes, 3D printing, the molding of microbeads, air bubbles, and frozen droplets. The fabrication of concave microwells is transferring from professional microfabrication labs to common biochemical labs to facilitate their applications and provide convenience for users. Concave microwells have mostly been used in organ-on-a-chip models, including the formation and culture of 3D cell aggregates (spheroids, organoids, and embryoids). Researchers have also used microwells to study the influence of substrate topology on cellular behaviors. We will briefly review their applications in different aspects of micro-tissue engineering and discuss the further applications of concave microwells. We believe that building multiorgan-on-a-chip by 3D cell aggregates of different cell lines will be a popular application of concave microwells, while integrating physiologically relevant molecular analyses with the 3D culture platform will be another popular application in the near future. Furthermore, 3D cell aggregates from these biosystems will find more applications in drug screening and xenogeneic implantation.
目前,在微组织工程中细胞和组织培养时,模拟体内微环境的需求日益增加。凹形微孔正变得越来越流行,因为与传统微孔相比,它们能够提供更接近体内环境的微环境,这有助于细胞和组织的培养。在此,我们将总结凹形微孔的制造方法及其在微组织工程中的应用。凹形微孔的制造方法包括传统方法,如光刻和蚀刻、光刻胶的热回流、激光烧蚀、精密计算机数控(CNC)铣削,以及新兴技术,如表面张力法、软膜变形、3D打印、微珠、气泡和冷冻液滴成型。凹形微孔的制造正从专业的微制造实验室转移到普通生化实验室,以促进其应用并为用户提供便利。凹形微孔大多已用于芯片器官模型,包括3D细胞聚集体(球体、类器官和胚状体)的形成和培养。研究人员还使用微孔来研究底物拓扑结构对细胞行为的影响。我们将简要回顾它们在微组织工程不同方面的应用,并讨论凹形微孔的进一步应用。我们相信,通过不同细胞系的3D细胞聚集体构建多器官芯片将是凹形微孔的一个热门应用,而将生理相关分子分析与3D培养平台整合在不久的将来将是另一个热门应用。此外,这些生物系统的3D细胞聚集体将在药物筛选和异种移植中找到更多应用。