In vivo-like circumferential alignment of vascular smooth muscle cells in the circular microchannels

Abstract

The circumferential alignment of human aortic smooth muscle cells (HASMCs) in an orthogonally micropatterned circular microfluidic channel is reported to form an in vivo-like smooth muscle cell layer. To construct a biomimetic smooth muscle cell layer which is aligned perpendicular to the axis of blood vessel, a half-circular polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microchannel is first fabricated by soft lithography. Then, the orthogonally microwrinkle patterns are generated inside the half-circular microchannel by a strain responsive wrinkling method, which can guide the circumferential alignment of HASMCs during cultivation. Orientation angle, shape index indicates that the cultured HASMCs reveal the in vivo-like cell phenotype.