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Kerim M Gattás-Asfura¹, Christopher A Fraker, Cherie L Stabler

¹Diabetes Research Institute, Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, Florida 33136, USA.

Journal of Biomedical Materials Research. Part A

|May 1, 2012

Summary

Grafting pentadecafluorooctanoyl chloride (PFC) onto alginate (Alg) created a novel hydrogel. This Alg-PFC material enhanced cell proliferation and mass transport, showing promise for cell encapsulation applications.

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Area of Science:

Biomaterials Science
Polymer Chemistry
Cell Encapsulation Technologies

Background:

Alginate hydrogels are widely used for cell encapsulation but can have limitations in mass transport and long-term cell viability.
Functionalization of biomaterials is a key strategy to enhance their biological performance and tailor them for specific applications.

Purpose of the Study:

To synthesize and characterize a novel alginate-based material functionalized with pentadecafluorooctanoyl chloride (Alg-PFC).
To evaluate the physical, chemical, and biological properties of Alg-PFC hydrogels, particularly their performance in cell encapsulation.
To assess the potential of Alg-PFC hydrogels for encapsulating cells with high metabolic demands, such as pancreatic islets.

Main Methods:

Pentadecafluorooctanoyl chloride (PFC) was grafted onto alginate (Alg) using a poly(ethylene glycol) linker and amide bonds.

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The resulting Alg-PFC material was characterized using proton nuclear magnetic resonance and infrared spectroscopies.

Alg-PFC hydrogel beads were fabricated via Ba(2+) crosslinking and their permeability and cell encapsulation capabilities were evaluated using MIN6 cells.

Main Results:

The degree of PFC functionalization influenced the properties of Alg-PFC, especially in hydrogel form.
Alg-PFC hydrogel beads exhibited similar permeability to control alginate beads, with differences observed upon swelling in culture media.
Encapsulation of MIN6 cells in Alg-PFC beads resulted in enhanced cell proliferation compared to alginate control beads.

Conclusions:

Alg-PFC hydrogels retain beneficial properties of PFC, including enhanced mass transport and bioinertness, improving cellular viability in 3D hydrogel environments.
The developed Alg-PFC material shows potential for applications requiring enhanced cell viability and mass transport within hydrogel matrices.
These functionalized hydrogels are particularly promising for the encapsulation of metabolically demanding cells, such as pancreatic islets for diabetes research.