Abstract
Porous sodium alginate/platelet rich plasma (SA/PRP) microcarriers were fabricated using an emulsion method combined with a freeze-drying method. The effects of the composition, concentration and freeze temperature on the properties of the porous microcarriers were studied. The optimum conditions for fabrication of the SA/PRP microcarriers were determined as −20 °C, SA concentration of 2.0 wt% and mass ratio of 2:1 (SA to PRP) for carrying cells. The SA/PRP microcarriers, with an average diameter of 100–350 μm, showed an interconnective porous structure and the pore size was about 30–70 μm. Such porous SA/PRP may be considered as a promising candidate for injectable carriers supporting attachment and proliferation of cells.