Studies have shown that hydrogels are promising materials to use in vivo cell scaffolds for wound healing and tissue engineering because they are hydrophilic, flexible, mechanically stable, and thermo-responsive. Synthetic hydrogels mimic the extracellular matrix (ECM), which initiates cell differentiation in tissue regeneration and wound healing in the human body. However, the material properties of synthetic hydrogels are challenging to engineer, especially to mimic the ECM correctly synthetically. Previously, fibroblasts have been cultured amongst collagen I hydrogels and polymer colloidal microgel particles. Results show that fibroblasts were viable among the collagen I hydrogels and the microgel particles, but the cells depicted different morphologies in both mediums. Poly <i>n</i>-isopropyl acrylamide (NIPAM) can be a reasonable alternative because they are soft polymer hydrogels in particulate form. As a result, they can accommodate cell invasion through a dense suspension. They also possess elastic properties that can easily be tuned to strike the appropriate balance between cell-mediated degradation and cell adhesion. This research advances synthetic-biologic hydrogel hybrids and would ultimately provide a platform for continual investigation of cell physiology and tissue fabrication outside an organism.

Investigating microgels as a synthetic 3D cell culture medium

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ACS Spring 2023

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