Electro-osmotic pump in osteo-articular tissue engineering: A feasibility study

The in vitro construction of osteo-articular large implants combining biomaterials and cells is of great interest since these tissues have limited regeneration capability. But the development of such organoids is particularly challenging, especially in the later time of the culture, when the extracellular matrix has almost filled the initial porous network. The fluid flow needed to efficiently perfuse the sample can then not be achieved using only the hydraulic driving force. In this paper, we investigate the interest of using an electric field to promote mass transport through the scaffold at the late stage of the culture. Based on the resolution of the electrokinetics equations, this study provides an estimation of the necessary electric driving force to reach a sufficient oxygen perfusion through the sample, thus analyzing the feasibility of this concept. The possible consequences of such electric fields on cellular activities are then discussed.