A disulfide-crosslinked pectin-glutenin hydrogel with advanced reversibility and toughness for cell culture

Pectin has garnered increased attention in tissue engineering, while the high-methoxylated pectin requires harsh gelling conditions and lacks endogenous cell adhesion. High-methoxylated pectin was first thiolated by conjugating L-cysteine onto the pectin backbone through amide bonds. Glutenin is rich in disulfide bonds and cytocompatible. Here, thiolated pectin then compounded with the reduced glutenin, resulting in hydrogels formed through disulfide crosslinking. The storage modulus increased to 2.24 times and the compressive strength is increased to 2.68 times with the addition of glutenin. The disulfide cross-linked hydrogels present cytocompatibility, reversibility, advanced toughness, permitting cell encapsulation of NIH-3T3 and GES-1 cells with uniform distribution. Above all, the disulfide-based hydrogels satisfy the requirements for cell culture.