Functionalized Gelatin/Polysaccharide Hydrogels for Encapsulation of Hepatocytes

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Regenerative Medicine
• Hepatology

Background:

• Liver diseases pose significant challenges to patients and healthcare systems.
• Hydrogels are crucial for soft tissue engineering and can encapsulate hepatocytes for therapeutic or in vitro modeling purposes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop novel hydrogels for hepatocyte embedding.
• To assess the suitability of these hydrogels for liver tissue engineering and drug testing.

Main Methods:

• Two hydrogel types were synthesized by crosslinking hydrazide-functionalized gelatin with oxidized dialdehyde hyaluronan or alginate via hydrazone bonds.
• Mechanical properties were evaluated using texture analysis and rheometry.
• In vitro biocompatibility and hepatocyte (HepG2 cell line) proliferation were assessed compared to transglutaminase-crosslinked gelatin hydrogels.

Main Results:

• The developed hydrogels exhibited mechanical properties similar to liver tissue and demonstrated long-term stability.
• HepG2 cells were successfully embedded, showing no gel toxicity and comparable proliferation in a 3D environment to control hydrogels.
• The hydrogels formed stable in situ gelling systems.

Conclusions:

• Hydrazide gelatin combined with oxidized polysaccharides creates effective hydrogel systems for hepatocyte incorporation.
• These hydrogels are promising for applications in liver tissue engineering and drug screening platforms.