Microfabrication of liver tissue-engineered scaffold

By simulating the internal microarchilectures in liver, tissue-engineered scaffold with microchambers and microchannels was designed to facilitate the regeneration of liver tissue. Stereolithography (SL) and microimprint techniques were employed to manufacture silicon-rubber mould and the biodegradable chitosan/gelatin composite scaffold was patterned via microreplica-tion technique. The results show that the conventional SL and mask-based SL processes enable to build the microstructures with the scale below 200 μm. The micro-SL process was endowed with the capability to fabricate three kinds of microstructures simultaneously: hepatic chambers (200-300 μm), blood vessel channels (100-200 μm) and microchannels (13.1-30 μm). These micro-structures are constructed on the same mould with satisfied replication accuracy and edge features. The microfabrication method based on SL and microreplication techniques provides a new way to fabricate complex liver tissue-engineered scaffold and ensures an orderly distribution of different hepatic cells.