Alginate-gelatine hydrogel microspheres protect NK cell proliferation and cytotoxicity under hypoxic conditions
Jiyoung Cheon1,2, Myeongkwan Song1,2, Soonjo Kwon1,2
1Department of Biological Engineering, Inha University, Incheon, Korea.
Aims:
This study aimed to encapsulate natural killer (NK) cells in a hydrogel to sustain their function within the hypoxic tumour microenvironments.
Methods:
An alginate-gelatine hydrogel was generated via electrospray technology. Hydrogel biocompatibility was assessed through cell counting kit-8 and Live/Dead assays to ascertain cell. Moreover, we analysed lactate dehydrogenase assays to evaluate the cytotoxicity against tumours and utilised RT-qPCR to analyse cytokine gene level.
Results:
Alginate and gelatine formed hydrogels with diameters ranging from 489.2 ± 23.0 μm, and the encapsulation efficiency was 34.07 ± 1.76%. Encapsulated NK cells exhibited robust proliferation and tumour-killing capabilities under normoxia and hypoxia. Furthermore, encapsulation provided a protective shield against cell viability under hypoxia. Importantly, tumour-killing cytotoxicity through cytokines upregulation such as granzyme B and interferon-gamma was preserved under hypoxia.
Conclusion:
The encapsulation of NK cells not only safeguards their viability but also reinforces anticancer capacity, countering the inhibition of activation induced by hypoxia.
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