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Introduction

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Tissue engineering technology has established great platform toward drug toxicity, drug screening and liver tissue engineering approach but establishing the efficient, cost effective and standards manufacturing protocols is still facing huge challenge. With the aim to mimic the microenvironment and microstructure of liver, the natural and synthetic polymer blend integrated alginate core shell construct are designed utilizing the electrostatic principle in coaxial electrospray. The encapsulation of human liver carcinoma cells, HepG2 and fibroblast cells into the core shell microsphere followed by their co culture will establish the chassis for the direction of creating the convenient and cost-effective platform towards the drug toxicity, drug screening, liver tissue engineering and bioartificial liver Here we hypothesized that 3 D core shell constructs of alginate hydrogel embedded with synthetic polymer Polycaprolactone, and chitin fibril will provide the stable core and shell compartments will support encapsulated cells

Coculture of HepG2 and Fibroblast cells in Core-shell Constructs: A Novel Approach Towards Drug Toxicity Testing And Liver Tissue Engineering

Student: Thakur Sapkota

Applied Science &Technology�Advisor: Dr Narayan Bhattarai�

Methods & Materials

  • Chitin ( Shrimp Shells) nanofibrils by nano-fibrillation process
  • Calcium chloride solution as crosslinking agent
  • Sodium alginate solution to form hydrogel.
  • The polycaprolactone (PCL) nanofibers. The electrospinning of PCL to get mesh followed by cryogrinding for nanofibers.
  • PCL nanofibers, chitin nanofibrils and HepG2 along with fibroblast cells in sodium alginate solution undergoes co axial electro spraying process into the calcium chloride solution to obtain 3D core shell hydrogel microspheres.

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Results

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3D engineered core shell hydrogel microsphere, incorporated with well optimized synthetic and natural polymeric biomaterials, possess the capability of mimicking an extra cellular matrix. This can establish an excellent microenvironment for co-culture cells. Core and shell encapsulated HepG2 cells and fibroblast cells by using the co axial electro spraying technique into a 3D Hydrogel microsphere integrated with those natural and synthetic polymers will enhance the cellular activities direct to establish a novel approach towards drug screening and liver tissue engineering.

Conclusions

The co culture of HepG2 and fibroblast cells provides the ample microenvironment for cross talk through direct contact or through para signaling if they are co-cultured in compartmental wise fashion among the cells which ultimately enhance the hepatic cellular activity and set up the robust platform for liver tissue engineering and drug toxicity testing.

References

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1 S.R Bhattari,et al, Electrodynamic assisted self-assembled fibrous hydrogel microcapsules: a novel 3 D in vitro platform for self assements of nano particle toxicity RSC, 2021,11,4921-4934

2 S.Saudi,et al., Nanonet-nano fiber electrospun meshof PCL- chitosan for controlled and extended release of diclofenac,sodium,nanoscale,2020,12(46),23556-23569

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CONTACT:

Thakur Sapkota

North Carolina A&T State University

Applied Science and Technology

tsapkota@aggies.ncat.edu

Figure : Electrospinning, eletrospraying and fluorescence image of cells in hydrogel ,left to right