Recent Progress in the Development of Microfluidic Vascular Models

The blood vessel is part of the circulatory system, and systemic circulation provides the blood supply to all tissues. Arteries are pathways through which the blood is carried, and the capillaries have a key role in material exchange to maintain the tissue environment. Blood vessels have structures appropriate for their functions, and their sizes and cell types are different. In this review, we introduced recent studies of the microfluidic vascular models. The model structures are classified mainly as poly(dimethylsiloxane) and hydrogel microchannels and self-assembled networks. Basic phenomena and functions were realized in vascular models, including fluid shear stress, cell strain, interstitial flow, endothelial permeation, angiogenesis, and thrombosis. In some models, endothelial cells were co-cultured with smooth muscle cells, pericytes, and fibroblasts in an extracellular matrix. Examples of vascular models involving the brain, lung, liver, kidney, placenta, and cancer were also introduced.