Rayleigh Instability-Driven Coaxial Spinning of Knotted Cell-Laden Alginate Fibers as Artificial Lymph Vessels

Abstract

Constructing artificial lymph vessels, which play a key role in the immune response, can provide new insights into immunology and disease pathologies. An immune tissue is a highly complex network that consists of lymph vessels, with a “beads-on-a-string” knotted structure. Herein, we present the facile and rapid fabrication of beads-on-a-string knotted cell-laden fibers using coaxial spinning of alginate by exploiting the Plateau–Rayleigh instability. It is shown how alterations in the flow rate and alginate concentration greatly affect the beads-on-a-string structure, rooted in the Plateau–Rayleigh instability theory. Biocompatibility was confirmed by the lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) assay and live/dead staining of the encapsulated human white blood cells. Finally, the encapsulated white blood cells were still functional as indicated by their anti-CD3 activation to secrete interleukin 2. The rapid fabrication of a cell-laden beads-on-a-string three-dimensional (3D) culture platform enables a crude mimicry of the lymph vessel structure. With joint expertise in immunology, microfluidics, and bioreactors, the technology may contribute to the mechanistic assay of human immune response in vitro and functional replacement.

Synergistic Effect of Co-Delivering Ciprofloxacin and Tetracycline Hydrochloride for Promoted Wound Healing by Utilizing Coaxial PCL/Gelatin Nanofiber Membrane

“…This may be because during the coaxial electrospinning process, the shell spinning solution is stretched at a high speed under the action of the electric field force, and the core spinning solution interface produces a shearing effect, resulting in the orientation of the polymer molecular chains in the core spinning solution along the fiber axis, thus improving the mechanical strength. Meanwhile, the shell material has a certain protective effect on the core layer material, which can reduce or even inhibit the Rayleigh instability of the core layer jet [45]; therefore, the core layer polymer material can rearrange and crystallize better, improving the elastic modulus and tensile strength of the coaxial nanofibers [46]. In addition, the loading of drugs hardly affects the mechanical properties of the fiber membrane; therefore, the prepared core-hell nanofiber could provide good mechanical properties for wound healing [47,48].…”

Reshapable Osteogenic Biomaterials Combining Flexible Melt Electrowritten Organic Fibers with Inorganic Bioceramics

“…The osteoconductivity/osteoinductivity of ZnO materials makes them attractive for the treatment of bone defects. , The MC3T3 cell cytocompatibility on the scaffolds was examined by lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) (Figure a) and CCK-8 assay (Figure b). LDH release on PCL, PCL/ZP 0.1, and PCL/ZP 0.5 was well below 9%, showing no significant difference compared to the TCP group, confirming their biocompatibility. , While under a large coating amount of ZnO, the PCL/ZP 1 (1 mg/mL ZnO NPs) sample exhibited obvious cytotoxicity of 74.27 ± 19.86%. To further evaluate the effect of ZnO NPs on MC3T3 cell viability, the CCK8 assay (Figure b) was conducted at days 1, 3, and 7 in growth medium (GM) and weeks 2, 3, 4, and 5 in osteogenic medium (OM).…”

Dual-Functional Nanofibrous Patches for Accelerating Wound Healing

“…In contrast, the elastic modulus of GEL was 118.66 ± 0.49 MPa, indicating the high brittleness of the GEL nanofiber. The mechanical properties of PCL/GEL coaxial nanofibers were between those of PCL and GEL, with a larger tensile strength (8.92 ± 0.49 MPa) compared with PCL and higher elongation (47.08 ± 5.03%) compared with GEL, which was caused by the addition of PCL and the core-shells in coaxial electrospinning protected each other to stabilize the jet [47], thereby producing better alignment and crystallization of the core layer material [48]. The mechanical properties of three drugloading nanofibers mats were not much different from drug free nanofiber patch (PCL/GEL).…”