Development of microstructured fish scale collagen scaffolds to manufacture a tissue-engineered oral mucosa equivalent

• Published in: Journal of biomaterials science. Polymer ed. Vol. 31; no. 5; pp. 578 - 600
• Main Authors: Suzuki, Ayako, Kato, Hiroko, Kawakami, Takahiro, Kodama, Yoshihiro, Shiozawa, Mayuko, Kuwae, Hiroyuki, Miwa, Keito, Hoshikawa, Emi, Haga, Kenta, Shiomi, Aki, Uenoyama, Atsushi, Saitoh, Issei, Hayasaki, Haruaki, Mizuno, Jun, Izumi, Kenji
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Taylor & Francis 23.03.2020; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: Collagen; Dermal-Epidermal Junction; Micropatterning; Oral Keratinocyte; Scaffold; Soft Lithography; Tilapia Scale Collagen; Tissue engineering; Dermal–Epidermal Junction; Micropatterning; Scaffold; Tilapia Scale Collagen; Oral Keratinocyte; Soft Lithography
• ISSN: 0920-5063; 1568-5624
• DOI: 10.1080/09205063.2019.1706147

The present study aimed to develop a more biomimetic tissue-engineered oral mucosa equivalent comprising 1% type I tilapia scale collagen scaffold having microstructures mimicking the dermal-epidermal junction of oral mucosa and oral keratinocytes as graft materials for human use. We designed four micropattern prototypes mimicking the dermal-epidermal junction. Using a semiconductor process and soft lithography, negative molds were fabricated to develop microstructures using both polydimethylsiloxane and silicon substrates. Micropattern configurations of dermal-epidermal junctions manufactured from fish collagen consisting of a fibril network using our micropatterning system were well preserved, although the internal fibril network of the pillar pattern was sparse. Mixing 1% chondroitin sulfate with the collagen matrix minimized tissue-engineered oral mucosa equivalent contraction. Histologic examinations showed a flattening of the vertical dimensions of all microstructures and expansion of their pitches, indicating changes in the originally designed configurations. Nonetheless, histologic examinations revealed that a fully differentiated and stratified epithelial layer was developed on all scaffolds, suggesting that the microstructured fish scale collagen scaffolds have potential in the manufacturing of tissue-engineered oral mucosa equivalents for clinical use; however, enhancement of the mechanical properties of micropatterns is required. Our micropatterning technology can also apply to the development of oral mucosa in vitro models.