title: The preservation of living cells with biocompatible microparticles.
abstract: Biomedical applications of living cells have rapidly expanded in many fields such as toxic detection, drug screening, and regenerative medicine, etc. Efficient methods to support cell survival and maintain activity in vitro have become increasingly important. However, traditional cryopreservation for living cell-based applications is limited by several problems. Here, we report that magnetic hydrogel microparticles can physically assemble into a 3D environment for efficient cell preservation in physiological conditions, avoiding any chemical reactions that would damage the cells. Two representative cell lines (loosely and firmly adherent) were tested to evaluate the versatility of this method. The results showed that cell longevity was significantly extended to at least 15 days, while the control cell samples without microparticles quickly died within 3 days. Moreover, after preservation, cells can be easily retrieved by applying a magnet to separate the magnetic particles. This strategy can also inhibit cell over-proliferation while avoiding the use of temperature extremes or toxic cryoprotectants that are essential in cryopreservation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemical Engineering, School of Chemical Engineering and Technology, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China. Key Laboratory of Systems Bioengineering of the Ministry of Education, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072, China. Collaborative Innovation Center of Chemical Science and Engineering (Tianjin), Tianjin University, Tianjin, 300072, China.
authors.forename: Jing
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Yingnan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Tong
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Chao
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pan
authors.forename: Nana
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Cai
authors.forename: He
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D002460:Cell Line; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D002470:Cell Survival; D015925:Cryopreservation; D003451:Cryoprotective Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D003451:Cryoprotective Agents