Bio-inspired microvascular patches with MSC encapsulation for wound healing

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) have been studied extensively for promoting wound healing, while their practical applications remain challenging due to the difficulty of promoting concurrent restoration of the granulation and vasculature. Inspired by densely vascularized human tissues, we propose a novel microvascular patch with MSC encapsulation as a new therapy for wound repair. A microfluidic system was employed to construct the engineered endothelialized micro-vessels, which were subsequently encapsulated into therapeutic MSCs-laden fibrinogen hydrogel to generate a pre-vascularized MSCs patch (EMV - MSCs patch). We demonstrate that the embedded flexible microfibers significantly enhanced the mechanical properties of the fibrinogen hydrogel. At the same time, the MSCs in the patch promoted endothelial cell migration and angiogenesis in the microfibers. Thus, the transplanted EMV-MSCs patch significantly promoted collagen deposition, granulated tissue formation and suppressed inflammation in and around the wound area. We believe such facile and fast fabrication of the engineered microvessels integrated MSCs patch makes it promising for many practical applications.

Automated summary

This study proposes a new therapy for wound repair by encapsulating MSCs into a microvascular patch to promote concurrent restoration of the granulation and vasculature. The embedded microfibers significantly enhance the mechanical properties of the hydrogel and promote collagen deposition and angiogenesis. The transplanted MSCs patch suppresses inflammation and promotes wound healing.