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Updated: Apr 17, 2026

Improved 3D Hydrogel Cultures of Primary Glial Cells for In Vitro Modelling of Neuroinflammation
Published on: December 8, 2017
Brain derived neurotrophic factor release from layer-by-layer coated agarose nerve guidance scaffolds
Daniel A Lynam1, Dena Shahriari1, Kayla J Wolf1
1Department of Chemical Engineering and Materials Science, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, United States.
Abstract:
Agarose nerve guidance scaffolds (NGS) seeded with cells expressing brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) have demonstrated robust nerve regeneration in the rat central nervous system. The purpose of this work was to explore whether agarose NGS coated with hydrogen-bonded layer-by-layer (HLbL) could provide an acellular method of delivering prolonged and consistent dosages of active BDNF. Our results show that HLbL-coated agarose NGS could release BDNF over 10days in consistent dosages averaging 80.5±12.5(SD)ng/mL. Moreover, the BDNF released from HLbL was confirmed active by in vitro cell proliferation assays. To our knowledge, this is the first report demonstrating that HLbL assembled onto a hydrogel can provide consistent, prolonged release of active BDNF in clinically relevant dosages.

