Fabrication of PLGA microvessel scaffolds with circular microchannels using soft lithography
Journal
Journal of Micromechanics and Microengineering
Journal Volume
17
Journal Issue
10
Pages
2000-2005
Date Issued
2007
Author(s)
Abstract
A simple micromolding method for fabricating PLGA (poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid)) microstructures made up of microchannels with a circular cross-section is presented. The thermal reflow technique is adopted to fabricate the semi-cylindrical photoresist master. The PLGA solution is prepared by dissolving PLGA polymer in acetone and then casting the solution onto the semi-cylindrical photoresist master to produce PLGA microstructures. Two PLGA membranes are bonded together to form microstructures consisting of circular microchannels. A microvessel scaffold suitable for tissue engineering was fabricated using the proposed method, and bovine endothelial cells were cultured into the scaffold by semi-dynamic seeding. The cell stain Calcein-AM was used to overcome the problem of the PLGA scaffolds becoming opaque, which in the past had made it difficult to effectively monitor the progress of cell seeding.
Type
journal article