Hydrogels with an Embossed Surface: An All-in-one Platform for Mass Production and Culture of Human Adipose-derived Stem Cell Spheroids

Stem cell spheroids have been studied extensively in organoid culture and therapeutic transplantation. Herein, hydrogels with an embossed surface (HES) were developed as an all-in-one platform that can enable the rapid formation and culture of a large quantity of size-controllable stem cell spheroids. The embossed structure on the hydrogel was adjustable according to the grit designation of the sandpaper. Human adipose-derived stem cells (hADSCs) were rapidly assembled into spheroids on the hydrogel, with their size distribution precisely controlled from 95 ± 6 μm to 181 ± 15 μm depending on surface roughness. The hADSC spheroids prepared from the HES demonstrated expression of stemness markers and differentiation capacity. In addition, HES-based spheroids showed significantly greater VEGF secretion than spheroids grown on a commercially available low-attachment culture plate. Exploiting those advantages, the HES-based spheroids were used for 3D bioprinting, and the spheroids within the 3D-printed construct showed improved retention and VEGF secretion compared to the same 3D structure containing single cell suspension. Collectively, HES would offer a useful platform for mass fabrication and culture of stem cell spheroids with controlled sizes for a variety of biomedical applications.