title: Modulus-regulated 3D-cell proliferation in an injectable self-healing hydrogel.
abstract: Cell therapy has attracted wide attention among researchers in biomaterial and medical areas. As a carrier, hydrogels that could keep high viability of the embedded cells have been developed. However, few researches were conducted on 3D cell proliferation, a key factor for cell therapy, especially after injection. In this study, we demonstrated for the first time the proliferation regulation of the 3D-embedded L929 cells in a modulus-tunable and injectable self-healing hydrogel before and after injection without adding specific growth factor. The cells showed a stiffness-dependent proliferation to grow faster in higher stiffness hydrogels. The proliferating rates of the encapsulated cells before and after injection were quantified, and the shearing force as a possible negative influence factor was discussed, suggesting the both internal property of the hydrogel and injection process are critical for further practical applications. Due to the high operability and good biocompatibility, this injectable self-healing hydrogel can be a promising carrier for cell therapy.
authors.affiliation: Beijing Laboratory of Biomedical Materials, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, PR China; The Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical Biology (Ministry of Education), Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, PR China.
authors.forename: Yongsan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Li
authors.affiliation: Beijing Laboratory of Biomedical Materials, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, PR China.
authors.forename: Yingwei
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.affiliation: Beijing Laboratory of Biomedical Materials, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, PR China. Electronic address: shi@mail.buct.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Feng
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Shi
authors.affiliation: The Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical Biology (Ministry of Education), Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, PR China. Electronic address: leitao@mail.tsinghua.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Lei
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Tao
authors.affiliation: The Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical Biology (Ministry of Education), Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084, PR China.
authors.forename: Yen
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.affiliation: Beijing Laboratory of Biomedical Materials, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing 100029, PR China. Electronic address: wangxing@mail.buct.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Xing
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001696:Biomechanical Phenomena; D002452:Cell Count; D018929:Cell Culture Techniques; D002460:Cell Line; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D006244:Hardness; D020100:Hydrogels / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007267:Injections; D051379:Mice; D023822:Tissue Engineering
chemical_list: D020100:Hydrogels
keywords: 3D cell culture; Hydrogel; Injection; Mechanical-strength; Proliferation