Promoting Cell Survival and Proliferation in Degradable Poly(vinyl alcohol)-Tyramine Hydrogels

A photopolymerizable-tyraminated poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA-Tyr) system that has the ability to covalently bind proteins in their native state was evaluated as a platform for cell encapsulation. However, a key hurdle to this system is the radicals generated during the cross-linking that can cause oxidative stress to the cells. This research hypothesized that incorporation of anti-oxidative proteins (sericin and gelatin) into PVA-Tyr gels would mitigate any toxicity caused by the radicals. The results showed that although incorporation of 1 wt% sericin promoted survival of the fibroblasts, both sericin and gelatin acted synergistically to facilitate long-term 3D cell function. The encapsulated cells formed clusters with deposition of laminin and collagen, as well as remaining metabolically active after 21 d.