Effects of surfactant and gentle agitation on inkjet dispensing of living cells

Inkjet dispensing is a promising method for patterning cells and biomaterials for tissue engineering applications. In a novel approach, this work uses a biocompatible surfactant to improve the reliability of droplet formation in piezoelectric drop-on-demand inkjet printing of Hep G2 hepatocytes onto hydrogels. During a long printing process, cell aggregation and sedimentation within the inkjet reservoir can lead to inconsistent printing results. In order to improve repeatability, the effects of gentle agitation on cell sedimentation and aggregation within the inkjet reservoir were also investigated. Cell viability and proliferation when printed onto prepared collagen substrates were assessed using live/dead staining and the Alamar Blue metabolic assay. The addition of 0.05% Pluronic as a surfactant did not reduce cell viability, which remained above 95% 2 days after printing. The surfactant improved the reliability of droplet formation. Although gentle stirring of the inkjet reservoir was sufficient to maintain a cell suspension and reduce sedimentation, aggregation within the suspension continued to affect printing performance over a 180 min printing period.