Comprehensive Examination Of Mechanical And Diffusional Effects On Cell Behavior Using A Decoupled 3d Hydrogel System

Abstract

Hydrogels possess several physical and chemical properties suitable for engineering cellular environments for tissue engineering applications. However, it is still a significant challenge to independently control the mechanical and diffusional properties of hydrogels, both of which are well known to influence various cell behaviors in 3D cell culture systems. Here, we have employed a polymeric crosslinker that allows for the adjustment of the number of crosslinkable functional groups to control the mechanical properties of the hydrogel. By using the polymeric crosslinker with varying degrees of substitution (DS), the moduli of the resulting hydrogels could be controlled in a wide range without changing their concentration. Furthermore, their diffusional properties were not significantly affected by the changes in DS as characterized by their swelling ratios, pore diameters and drug release rates. The viability of cells encapsulated in this hydrogel system successfully demonstrated the varying effects of mechanical properties on different cell types, whereas the cells in a conventional hydrogel system were not significantly influenced by changes in diffusion.