Wisotzki Emilia I, Friedrich Ralf P, Weidt Astrid, Alexiou Christoph, Mayr Stefan G, Zink Mareike
Leibniz Institute of Surface Modification (IOM), Permoserstrasse 15, 04318, Leipzig, Germany.
Faculty of Physics and Earth Sciences, Leipzig University, Linnéstrasse 5, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
Macromol Biosci. 2016 Jun;16(6):914-24. doi: 10.1002/mabi.201500408. Epub 2016 Mar 3.
As a biomaterial, it is well established that gelatin exhibits low cytotoxicity and can promote cellular growth. However, to circumvent the potential toxicity of chemical crosslinkers, reagent-free crosslinking methods such as electron irradiation are highly desirable. While high energy irradiation has been shown to exhibit precise control over the degree of crosslinking, these hydrogels have not been thoroughly investigated for biocompatibility and degradability. Here, NIH 3T3 murine fibroblasts are seeded onto irradiated gelatin hydrogels to examine the hydrogel's influence on cellular viability and morphology. The average projected area of cells seeded onto the hydrogels increases with irradiation dose, which correlates with an increase in the hydrogel's shear modulus up to 10 kPa. Cells on these hydrogels are highly viable and exhibits normal cell cycles, particularly when compared to those grown on glutaraldehyde crosslinked gelatin hydrogels. However, proliferation is reduced on both types of crosslinked samples. To mimic the response of the hydrogels in physiological conditions, degradability is monitored in simulated body fluid to reveal strongly dose-dependent degradation times. Overall, given the low cytotoxicity, influence on cellular morphology and variability in degradation times of the electron irradiated gelatin hydrogels, there is significant potential for application in areas ranging from regenerative medicine to mechanobiology.
作为一种生物材料，明胶具有低细胞毒性并能促进细胞生长，这一点已得到充分证实。然而，为了规避化学交联剂的潜在毒性，诸如电子辐照等无需试剂的交联方法是非常可取的。虽然高能辐照已被证明能对交联程度进行精确控制，但这些水凝胶的生物相容性和可降解性尚未得到充分研究。在此，将NIH 3T3小鼠成纤维细胞接种到辐照过的明胶水凝胶上，以研究水凝胶对细胞活力和形态的影响。接种到水凝胶上的细胞的平均投影面积随辐照剂量增加而增大，这与水凝胶的剪切模量增加至10 kPa相关。这些水凝胶上的细胞具有很高的活力且呈现正常的细胞周期，特别是与在戊二醛交联的明胶水凝胶上生长的细胞相比时。然而，两种交联样品上的细胞增殖均有所减少。为了模拟水凝胶在生理条件下的反应，在模拟体液中监测其可降解性，以揭示强烈的剂量依赖性降解时间。总体而言，鉴于电子辐照明胶水凝胶的低细胞毒性、对细胞形态的影响以及降解时间的可变性，其在从再生医学到力学生物学等领域具有巨大的应用潜力。
