Magnetic Patterning of Tissue Spheroids Using Polymer Microcapsules Containing Iron Oxide Nanoparticles

Abstract

Magnetic tissue engineering is one of the rapidly emerging and promising directions of tissue engineering and biofabrication where the magnetic field is employed as temporal removal support or scaffold. Iron oxide nanoparticles are used to label living cells and provide the desired magnetic properties. Recently, polymer microcapsules loaded with iron oxide nanoparticles have been proposed as a novel approach to designing magnetic materials with high local concentrations. These microcapsules can be readily internalized and retained intracellularly for a long time in various types of cells. The low cytotoxicity of these microcapsules was previously shown in 2D cell culture. This paper has demonstrated that cells containing these nontoxic nanomaterials can form viable 3D tissue spheroids for the first time. The spheroids retained labeled fluorescent microcapsules with magnetic nanoparticles without a detectable cytotoxic effect. The high concentration of packed nanoparticles inside the microcapsules enables the evident magnetic properties of the labeled spheroids to be maintained. Finally, magnetic spheroids can be effectively used for magnetic patterning and biofabrication of tissue-engineering constructs.

Superparamagnetic Iron Oxide Nanoparticles for Targeted Cell Seeding: Magnetic Patterning and Magnetic 3D Cell Culture

“…For nanoparticle-loaded homogenous spheroids, it has previously been shown that spheroids fuse rapidly and agglomerate in a pattern depending on the magnetic field, also referred to as micropatterning. [20,88] Hence, spheroids can be guided by magnetic forces and used as controllable building blocks in tissue engineering. [89] Magnetic janus-loading not only enables positioning of whole spheroids depending on the magnetic field, but also which side of the spheroid is in the direction of the magnet.…”

Preparation of Magnetic Hydrogel Microparticles with Cationic Surfaces and Their Cell-Assembling Performance

“…Nowadays, a method of assembling cells by gravity using a cell culture plate capable of blocking cell adhesion on the well is promising. , While modifying the manuscript, a research paper on the arrangement of spheres using magnetic nanoparticles was published. This author has also succeeded in arranging cells in an arbitrary morphology using a magnetic field . As for the other methods, the application of a microchannel has been reported .…”

Micro/Nanosystems for Magnetic Targeted Delivery of Bioagents

“…Importantly, the high payload capability offered by microcapsules enables applications where stronger dragging forces are needed, such as in spatial control of cells [108,109]. For instance, IONP-loaded polymeric microcapsules have been recently used to magnetize cells assembled into spheroids, which could be then used for magnetic patterning and biofabrication of tissue-engineering constructs [110]. Magnetic microcapsules are therefore valuable tools for magnetic tissue engineering, in which magnetic forces serve as temporary supports to assemble biological structures from individual cells or spheroids.…”

“…Cells, cells spheroids, or matrices containing cells can be modified with magnetic particles and then, under the application of a magnetic field, can be induced to assemble into morphologies that mimic the structure of target organs (e.g., rings for vessels, sheets for skin, etc.) [110,424]. Thus, magnetic tissue engineering emerges as an important tool to enhance bioprinting functionality and realize future multiplex bioconstructs and organ replicas.…”