Assessments of injectable alginate particle-embedded fibrin hydrogels for soft tissue reconstruction.
Soft tissue reconstruction is often needed after massive traumatic damage or cancer removal. In this study, we developed a novel hybrid hydrogel system consisting of alginate particles and a fibrin matrix that could maintain tissue volume long term. Alginate particles were fabricated by mixing 5% alginate with a 20 mM calcium solution. Cells and these alginate particles were then embedded in fibrin (alginate-fibrin) hydrogels using a dual syringe mixer. Cell-hydrogel constructs were evaluated in terms of cell survival and proliferation in the constructs in vitro. The results indicated that cellular viability, spreading and proliferation in the alginate-fibrin hydrogels were significantly higher compared to constructs fabricated with fibrin or alginate only. In vivo explants showed that cells contained within fibrin-only hydrogels did not contribute to neo-tissue formation, and the fibrin was fully degraded within a 12 week period. In the alginate-fibrin system, higher cellularity and vascular ingrowth were observed in vivo. This resulted in neo-tissue formation in the alginate-fibrin hydrogels. These results demonstrate that fibrin may enhance cell proliferation and accelerate the formation of extracellular matrix proteins in the alginate-fibrin system, while the alginate particles could contribute to volume retention. This injectable hybrid system composed of degradable and non-degradable hydrogels may be a preferable approach to the repair of soft tissue defects.
Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA.
C M
CM
Hwang
B
B
Ay
D L
DL
Kaplan
J P
JP
Rubin
K G
KG
Marra
A
A
Atala
J J
JJ
Yoo
S J
SJ
Lee
D000464:Alginates / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D005337:Fibrin / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D006801:Humans; D020100:Hydrogels / Q000008:administration & dosage; D007267:Injections; D008422:Materials Testing; D017695:Soft Tissue Injuries / Q000628:therapy; D023822:Tissue Engineering / Q000379:methods*; D019737:Transplants
D000464:Alginates; D001672:Biocompatible Materials; D020100:Hydrogels; D005337:Fibrin