Engineering Controlled Microporosity in Liquid-Core Soft Compartments via Compositional Tuning of Aqueous Immiscible Systems for Facilitated Cell Migration

The processing of materials at aqueous interfaces has enabled the generation of compartmentalization structures with broad biomedical interest. Controlling the porous structure of soft materials to create micro-sized pores that enable cell migration is crucial for tissue development and regeneration. This work presents liquid-core soft compartments formed via interfacial polyelectrolyte complexation between alginate and ε-poly-L-lysine, which membrane physical properties are tailored by adjusting the composition of the prototypical aqueous two-phase system. The additional interfacial dynamics provided by the presence of the immiscible polymer phases promoted the organization of porous architectures in the membrane. Fiber-shaped tubular structures enable adhesion and migration of mesenchymal stem cells to surrounding fibrin matrices and its invasion, behavior that was significantly improved in conditions of higher membrane porosity. While preserving the single-step approach of the established technology, the interfacial materials with tailorable porosity can be processed for applications in tissue engineering and regeneration.