In situ crosslinkable elastomeric hydrogel for long-term cell encapsulation for cardiac applications

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Regenerative Medicine
• Tissue Engineering

Background:

• Successful cell transplantation requires effective carriers to protect cells.
• Soft hydrogels are utilized to shield transplanted cells in regenerative therapies.
• Developing suitable biomaterials is crucial for soft tissue regeneration.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an injectable, porous, biodegradable, bioresorbable, and elastomeric hydrogel.
• To evaluate the hydrogel's suitability for cardiomyoblast encapsulation and cardiac applications.
• To assess the physical and biological properties of the hydrogel as a cell carrier.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a poly(propylene fumarate-co-sebacate-co-ethylene glycol) hydrogel crosslinked with PEGDA.
• Assessment of mechanical properties, including elasticity and compression tolerance.
• Evaluation of water content, porosity, degradation rate, and cell viability over 30 days.

Main Results:

• The hydrogel exhibited mechanical properties similar to native myocardium (49±0.008 kPa) after 30 days of degradation.
• The hydrogel demonstrated high extensibility (up to 60% compression) and retained 70.58% water content.
• Encapsulated cardiomyoblast cells maintained viability and proliferation over 30 days, indicating a favorable microenvironment.

Conclusions:

• The developed hydrogel possesses favorable physical and biological properties for cell encapsulation.
• This hydrogel is a promising candidate for cell delivery in cardiac tissue regeneration.
• The material outperforms other reported elastomeric hydrogels for cell therapy applications.