Figure 4.

Construction of a novel in vitro atherosclerotic model from geometry-tunable artery equivalents engineered via in-bath coaxial cell printing. (A) By programming the printing path and moving speed, triple-layer arterial constructs with controlled geometries were achieved, including (i) regular straight, (ii) stenotic, and (iii) tortuous models. (B) (i) Confluent endothelium and (ii) dense smooth muscle tissues were generated in the constructed artery equivalents on day 7, regardless of the designed geometries (Scale: 200 μm). (C) The distributions of a monolayer endothelium surrounded by compartmentalized smooth muscle cells and fibroblasts (white dashes) are distinguishable (D) Quantification of LDL accumulation, (E) foam cells, and (F) adhered THP-1 cells. SE: steady-flow model containing only ECs; SEC: steady-flow model containing ECs and SMCs/fibroblasts; TE: turbulent-flow model containing only ECs; TES: turbulent-flow model containing EC and SMS/fibroblasts. Adapted, with permission from (171). *P < 0.05; **P < 0.005.