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Cellular Encapsulation in 3D Hydrogels for Tissue Engineering
Published on: October 26, 2009
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Comparison of Bioorthogonally Cross-Linked Hydrogels for in Situ Cell Encapsulation
Henan Zhan1, Heleen de Jong1, Dennis W P M Löwik1
1Institute for Molecules and Materials, Radboud University Nijmegen, 135 Heyendaalseweg, Nijmegen 6525 AJ, The Netherlands.
ACS Applied Bio Materials
|January 15, 2022
Summary
Researchers developed fast-forming hydrogels using bioorthogonal chemistry for 3D cell encapsulation. Combinations like TCO-Tet and BCN-DHPA rapidly formed gels, enabling viable human mesenchymal stem cell cultures.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Science
- Polymer Chemistry
- Tissue Engineering
Background:
- Hydrogels are crucial for drug delivery and tissue engineering.
- In situ hydrogel formation is desired for cell and drug encapsulation.
- Bioorthogonal chemistry offers a method for rapid hydrogel network formation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify rapidly gelling bioorthogonal polymer combinations for 3D cell encapsulation.
- To create hydrogels as advanced tissue mimics.
- To evaluate hydrogel performance in human mesenchymal stem cell cultures.
Main Methods:
- Grafting various clickable moieties (Tet, TCO, N3, DBCO, BCN, DHPA, Norb) onto star-PEG polymers.
- Assessing gelation kinetics using inverted vial tests and rheology.
- Culturing human mesenchymal stem cells (HMSCs) within selected hydrogels over 5 days.
Main Results:
- Rapid hydrogel formation (< seconds) observed with TCO-Tet, BCN-DHPA, and BCN-Tet combinations.
- Moderate gelation (minutes) with DBCO-N3, DBCO-DHPA, and BCN-N3; slow gelation (> hours) with Norb-Tet.
- DBCO-N3 and BCN-N3 hydrogels supported viable and spread HMSCs over 5 days, with added RGDS and MMPcp motifs.
- DBCO hydrogels achieved better cell distribution due to faster gelation compared to BCN hydrogels.
Conclusions:
- Bioorthogonal click chemistry enables rapid in situ hydrogel formation for 3D cell encapsulation.
- Specific polymer-click chemistry combinations offer tunable gelation times.
- Functionalized hydrogels support cell viability and function, showing potential for tissue engineering applications.
