Thermoresponsive cellulosic hydrogels with cell-releasing behavior
Siew P Hoo1, Fatemeh Sarvi, Wai Ho Li
1Department of Chemical Engineering, Monash University, Australia.
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
|June 6, 2013
Summary
Researchers developed thermoresponsive cellulosic hydrogels that release cells upon cooling. These hydroxypropyl cellulose-methacrylic anhydride (HPC-MA) hydrogels offer a non-enzymatic method for cell detachment, aiding cell sheet engineering.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Biomedical Engineering
- Polymer Chemistry
Background:
- Cell sheet engineering requires methods for controlled cell adhesion and detachment.
- Thermoresponsive polymers offer tunable properties for biomedical applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To synthesize and characterize novel thermoresponsive cellulosic hydrogels with cell-releasing capabilities.
- To evaluate the potential of these hydrogels as substrates for cell sheet engineering.
Main Methods:
- Hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC) was modified with methacrylic anhydride (MA) to create HPC-MA macromonomer.
- HPC-MA hydrogels were prepared via UV-cross-linking of aqueous solutions.
- Hydrogel properties (thermoresponsiveness, hydrophilicity, mechanical properties) were characterized.
- Cell release studies were performed using COS-7 and Oct4b2 cell lines.
Main Results:
- HPC-MA hydrogels exhibited thermoresponsive behavior with a lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of 37-38 °C.
- Hydrogels showed temperature-dependent changes in surface properties, water content, and mechanical strength.
- Cultivated cells spontaneously detached from the hydrogels at 4 °C without trypsinization.
- Successful cell detachment was demonstrated for both kidney and embryonic stem cell lines.
Conclusions:
- The synthesized HPC-MA hydrogels possess tunable thermoresponsive and cell-releasing properties.
- These hydrogels are promising, non-enzymatic substrates for cell sheet engineering applications.
- The ability to detach cells by simple temperature reduction simplifies cell harvesting for tissue engineering.
