title: Carbon nanotube reinforced hybrid microgels as scaffold materials for cell encapsulation.
abstract: Hydrogels that mimic biological extracellular matrix (ECM) can provide cells with mechanical support and signaling cues to regulate their behavior. However, despite the ability of hydrogels to generate artificial ECM that can modulate cellular behavior, they often lack the mechanical strength needed for many tissue constructs. Here, we present reinforced CNT-gelatin methacrylate (GelMA) hybrid as a biocompatible, cell-responsive hydrogel platform for creating cell-laden three-dimensional (3D) constructs. The addition of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) successfully reinforced GelMA hydrogels without decreasing their porosity or inhibiting cell growth. The CNT-GelMA hybrids were also photopatternable allowing for easy fabrication of microscale structures without harsh processes. NIH-3T3 cells and human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) readily spread and proliferated after encapsulation in CNT-GelMA hybrid microgels. By controlling the amount of CNTs incorporated into the GelMA hydrogel system, we demonstrated that the mechanical properties of the hybrid material can be tuned making it suitable for various tissue engineering applications. Furthermore, due to the high pattern fidelity and resolution of CNT incorporated GelMA, it can be used for in vitro cell studies or fabricating complex 3D biomimetic tissue-like structures.
authors: Center for Biomedical Engineering, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 65 Landsdowne Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.
authors: Su Ryon
authors: SR
authors: Shin
authors: Hojae
authors: H
authors: Bae
authors: Jae Min
authors: JM
authors: Cha
authors: Ji Young
authors: JY
authors: Mun
authors: Ying-Chieh
authors: YC
authors: Chen
authors: Halil
authors: H
authors: Tekin
authors: Hyeongho
authors: H
authors: Shin
authors: Sidney
authors: S
authors: Zarabi
authors: Mehmet R
authors: MR
authors: Dokmeci
authors: Shirley
authors: S
authors: Tang
authors: Ali
authors: A
authors: Khademhosseini
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D002470:Cell Survival; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D006801:Humans; D020100:Hydrogels / Q000737:chemistry*; D059630:Mesenchymal Stem Cells / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology*; D051379:Mice; D041681:NIH 3T3 Cells; D053769:Nanocapsules / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D023822:Tissue Engineering / Q000295:instrumentation*; D054457:Tissue Scaffolds
chemical_list: D020100:Hydrogels; D053769:Nanocapsules; D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon