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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2011 Jan 1.
Published in final edited form as: Acta Biomater. 2009 Jul 14;6(1):29–38. doi: 10.1016/j.actbio.2009.07.009

Figure 4.

Figure 4

Macroporosity was introduced in the presence of cells via dissolution of porogenic microspheres. Images were obtained by confocal microscopy with a 10X objective. (a) Scaffolds could be formed with gradients of microspheres by centrifuging PEG8-VS/BSA microspheres (green) with (i) low, (ii) medium or (iii) high density PEG8-acrylate/PEG8-amine microspheres (blue). The density of the PEG8-acrylate/PEG8-amine microspheres was varied by reacting solutions of PEG8-acrylate and PEG8-amine in PBS + 0.45 M sodium sulfate at 95°C for: (i) 3 min, (ii) 5 min or (iii) 10 min. (b) A scaffold formed from PEG8-VS/PEG8-amine microspheres (green) and PEG8-acrylate/PEG8-amine microspheres (blue) with matched densities, imaged 12 h after centrifugation in cell culture medium at 37°C. (c) Scaffold from (b) after 48 h in cell culture medium at 37°C. PEG8-acrylate/PEG8-amine microspheres (blue) were no longer detectable. (d) Macroporous scaffold composed of PEG8-VS/PEG8-amine microspheres (green), PEG8-acrylate/PEG8-amine microspheres PEG8-VS/BSA microspheres (blue), 48 h after formation. Microsphere densities were matched to produce an even distribution of macropores following dissolution of PEG8-acrylate/PEG8-amine microspheres.