Hydrostatic fluid pressure promotes cellularity and proliferation of human dermal fibroblasts in a three-dimensional collagen gel/sponge

Cell constructs and culture systems are essential components of tissue engineering. Cell constructs are usually composed of a dense population of cells, for which long-term culture is required in vitro. However, the denser construct suffers from the absence of passive nutrient supply, gas exchange, and removal of degraded debris. We have developed a novel hydrostatic pressure/perfusion (HP/P) culture system that improves the quality of neo-tissues, providing an automated affordable system for clinical applications. We evaluated the effects of HP/P on cellularity, viability, and proliferation of human dermal fibroblasts seeded in a gel/sponge construct. HP/P and perfusion promoted cell migration and significantly increased proliferation and DNA content after 4 days culture compared to the static culture. HP/P culture is beneficial for building a denser three-dimensional fibroblast construct.