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were measured by ELISA kits. All the assays were performed in triplicate, and the data were

representative of three experiments.

2.7. Statistical Analysis

All experimental data displayed as mean ± standard deviation (SD) was assessed using the

unpaired Student’s t-test and analysis of variance (ANOVA), and P < 0.05 was considered as

statistically significant.

3. Results and Discussion

3.1. Characterization of PMs

In this study, we have initially employed the microfluidic technique to fabricate PLGA-based

porous PMs. The gelatin was distributed in the PLGA droplets as a porogen and then corroded by

hot water. Notably, the SEM images (Figure 2A, B) represented that the microfluidic techniques

resulted in the monodisperse PMs with a uniform diameter of approximately 450-550 μm and a

pore size distribution in the range of 20-50 µm (Figure 2D, E). In addition, the cross-sectional

view of the PMs presented interconnected windows (Figure 2C), which could substantially

facilitate the transportation of nutrients and oxygen. These experimental results were in agreement

with the reported literature, in which the PMs with a diameter of 250-700 μm could retain the

viability of cells cultured for 3 to 14 days due to their significant proliferation ability, attributing to

the interconnected pores of 20-70 μm 47,48 . The designed PMs were further systematically

characterized using various techniques and compared with the raw PLGA material (Figure S1).

The results of these experiments showed that no structural changes occurred during the preparation

process. The PMs exhibited a uniform size with porous structure and good physicochemical

characteristics, which could be an optimal platform for cell growth.

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