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Oxygen releasing hydrogels for beta cell assisted therapy.
Mette Steen Toftdal1, Nayere Taebnia2, Firoz Babu Kadumudi3
1Department of Health Technology, Technical University of Denmark, DK-2800 Kgs. Lyngby, Denmark; Department of Stem Cell Delivery & Pharmacology, Novo Nordisk A/S, DK-2760 Måløv, Denmark.
International Journal of Pharmaceutics
|April 23, 2021
Summary
This study introduces a novel hydrogel system using calcium peroxide (CPO) to release oxygen, improving therapeutic cell survival in diabetes treatment. The oxygen-releasing hydrogel enhances beta cell survival for potential type 1 diabetes cures.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Science
- Regenerative Medicine
- Diabetes Research
Background:
- Diabetes affects over 400 million people globally.
- Beta cell therapy shows promise for type 1 diabetes.
- Post-transplantation hypoxia is a major challenge for cell therapy.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop an oxygen-releasing hydrogel for enhanced beta cell therapy.
- To investigate the efficacy of calcium peroxide (CPO) within a thiolated hyaluronic acid (tHA) and 8-arm-Poly(ethylene glycol)-Acrylate (PEGA) hydrogel system.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of hydrogels with varying CPO concentrations (0, 7.5, 30%).
- Characterization of CPO presence using FTIR and Alizarin Red.
- Monitoring oxygen release kinetics.
- Assessment of hydrogel injectability and mechanical properties.
- Encapsulation and viability evaluation of INS-1E reporter cell clusters.
Main Results:
- CPO was successfully incorporated into the tHA/PEGA hydrogel network.
- Hydrogels with 30% CPO released oxygen for at least 30 hours.
- The hydrogels exhibited suitable mechanical and rheological properties for injection.
- CPO incorporation significantly enhanced encapsulated beta cell survival for at least three days.
Conclusions:
- The developed oxygen-releasing hydrogel system is a promising biomaterial for beta cell therapy.
- CPO-loaded hydrogels effectively mitigate hypoxia and improve cell survival, addressing a key challenge in diabetes treatment.
- This approach holds potential for advancing cell-based therapies for type 1 diabetes.
