Anisotropic PLGA microsphere/PVA hydrogel composite with aligned macroporous structures for directed cell adhesion and proliferation

The fabrication of bio tissues using anisotropic constructs capable of repairing and/or replacing diseased bio tissues remains a significant challenge in tissue engineering. Therefore, this study investigated the fabrication of an anisotropic PLGA-microspheres/PVA-hydrogel composite using a novel directional freezing-thawing (DFT) technique. The DFT technique altered the properties of the anisotropic PLGA-microspheres/PVA-hydrogel composite, such that its compressive strength improved from 14.64 +/- 1.09 MPa after three DFT cycles to 45.77 +/- 6.73 MPa after nine cycles. The utilization of the DFT technique was also shown to enhance the proliferation and adhesion of cultured chondrocyte cells. The obtained results demonstrated that DFT constituted a facile method to fabricate anisotropic microsphere/hydrogel composites with improved and directed cell adhesion characteristics.