Necrotic regions are absent in fiber-shaped cell aggregates, approximately 100 μm in diameter

Abstract

Microscopic, fiber-shaped cell aggregates, have been used as building blocks for fabricating macroscopic three-dimensional tissue architectures, in the field of tissue engineering. In this study, we examined the occurrence of necrotic regions in the most widely used, fiber-shaped cell aggregates, approximately 100 μm in diameter. Alginate hydrogel hollow microfibers were used as templates for the cell aggregates. We demonstrated negligible necrotic region formation occurred in the cell aggregates formed in the hollow microfibers. Furthermore, we improved on previously-reported methods for preparing the hollow microfibers to avoid common microfiber tangling during the fiber preparation process.

Keywords::

• hydrogel
• microfiber
• necrosis
• regenerative medicine
• tissue engineering

Declaration of interest

The authors report no declarations of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.

This work was supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B), 25820383, 2013, from Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS).