title: Collagen/poloxamine hydrogels: cytocompatibility of embedded HepG2 cells and surface-attached endothelial cells.
abstract: The effects of cross-linked poloxamine hydrogels on the cellular function of embedded HepG2 cells and surface-attached endothelial cells were assessed. HepG2 cells embedded within collagen/poloxamine-methacrylate gel survived photo-cross-linking (MTT viability, 78%). There was a gradual increase in cell number during the first week. The cumulative secretion of alpha1-antitrypsin by HepG2 cells showed an almost linear profile. However, lower levels for the collagen/poloxamine-methacrylate matrix were observed when compared with collagen. Endothelial cells attached poorly to poloxamine gels without collagen (alamarBlue reduction ranged from 36 to 63%) and did not spread well. The addition of collagen led to spread cells and alamarBlue reduction levels of 75-93% (24 h after seeding). On day 5, some detachment was noted through analysis of vascular endothelial cadherin staining. Finally, the collagen-containing matrix was used to prepare cylindrical modules containing HepG2 cells to show the utility of this material in modular tissue constructs. A fluorescent cytoplasmic tracer, Vybrant CFDA SE, showed that embedded cells remained viable for more than 2 months, confirming the good cytocompatibility of collagen/poloxamine-methacrylate in the form of modules. The suitability of these modules for preparing uniform, scaleable, and vascularized constructs remains to be demonstrated.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Engineering and Applied Chemistry, Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: Alejandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sosnik
authors.forename: Brendan
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Leung
authors.forename: Alison P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: McGuigan
authors.forename: Michael V
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Sefton
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D002417:Cattle; D002448:Cell Adhesion / Q000502:physiology; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000502:physiology; D018914:Cells, Immobilized / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology; D018920:Coculture Techniques; D042783:Endothelial Cells / Q000166:cytology / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D020100:Hydrogels; D008689:Methacrylates
chemical_list: D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D020100:Hydrogels; D008689:Methacrylates