İmmün hücreleri̇n polari̇zasyonuna yöneli̇k 3-boyutlu mi̇kroakişkan si̇stemleri̇n geli̇şti̇ri̇lmesi̇

In tissue engineering and biomaterial applications, inflammation can occur as a result of affecting the immune mechanism of the implanted material or device. Such immune response is critical for the regeneration of the target tissue. Macrophages, immune system cells, play a critical role in regulating wound healing and tissue regeneration by changing their polarized state in response to stimuli from the microenvironment. Macrophage polarization and control of inflammation should be taken into account in order to prevent the rejection of the implant, failure of the graft and wound healing. While M1 macrophages, which have pro-inflammatory properties and fight with pathogens, M2 macrophages have anti-inflammatory properties and are involved in tissue regeneration and angiogenesis. Recent studies show that two-dimensional monolayer cell culture systems are insufficient to mimic the complex structure of the immune system. Microfluidic systems are platforms designed to allow control of very small amounts of fluids and to investigate the response of tissue/disease models to external stimuli. The aim of this project is to provide the 3-dimensional (3D) dynamic microfluidic systems for the macrophage polarization of macrophages and microglial cells using tissue engineering approaches. Using these platforms, we investigate the behavior of cells under stress conditions and when they are targeted by various microfluidic system designs. In this study, a light-polymerizable biocompatible gelatin-based hydrogel is used like cellular 3D microenvironment. The 3D hydrogel exhibits tissue-like properties in terms of its mechanical properties and biodegradability and provides an artificial extracellular matrix function that provides the natural environment for macrophages. Microfluidic platforms are designed and developed using a variety of engineering software. After the cells are encapsulated in the 3D microfluidic chip, M1-M2 polarization is examined with qPCR and histological techniques under continuous flow.