McGill Craniofacial Tissue Engineering and Stem Cells Laboratory, Faculty of Dental Medicine and Oral Health Sciences, McGill University, 3640 University Street, Montreal, QC H3A 0C7, Canada.
Int J Mol Sci. 2023 Feb 6;24(4):3232. doi: 10.3390/ijms24043232.
Organ-on-A-chip (OoAC) devices are miniaturized, functional, in vitro constructs that aim to recapitulate the in vivo physiology of an organ using different cell types and extracellular matrix, while maintaining the chemical and mechanical properties of the surrounding microenvironments. From an end-point perspective, the success of a microfluidic OoAC relies mainly on the type of biomaterial and the fabrication strategy employed. Certain biomaterials, such as PDMS (polydimethylsiloxane), are preferred over others due to their ease of fabrication and proven success in modelling complex organ systems. However, the inherent nature of human microtissues to respond differently to surrounding stimulations has led to the combination of biomaterials ranging from simple PDMS chips to 3D-printed polymers coated with natural and synthetic materials, including hydrogels. In addition, recent advances in 3D printing and bioprinting techniques have led to the powerful combination of utilizing these materials to develop microfluidic OoAC devices. In this narrative review, we evaluate the different materials used to fabricate microfluidic OoAC devices while outlining their pros and cons in different organ systems. A note on combining the advances made in additive manufacturing (AM) techniques for the microfabrication of these complex systems is also discussed.
器官芯片（Organ-on-a-chip，OoAC）设备是小型化、功能化的体外构建体，旨在使用不同的细胞类型和细胞外基质来重现器官的体内生理学，同时保持周围微环境的化学和机械特性。从终点的角度来看，微流控器官芯片的成功主要依赖于所使用的生物材料类型和制造策略。某些生物材料，如 PDMS（聚二甲基硅氧烷），由于其易于制造和在模拟复杂器官系统方面的成功经验，因此比其他生物材料更受欢迎。然而，人类微组织对周围刺激的反应方式不同，这导致了生物材料的组合，从简单的 PDMS 芯片到 3D 打印聚合物，这些聚合物涂有天然和合成材料，包括水凝胶。此外，3D 打印和生物打印技术的最新进展使得利用这些材料开发微流控器官芯片设备成为可能。在这篇叙述性综述中，我们评估了用于制造微流控器官芯片设备的不同材料，并概述了它们在不同器官系统中的优缺点。还讨论了结合增材制造（Additive Manufacturing，AM）技术在这些复杂系统微制造方面的进展。
