Oxidized Alginate Hydrogel-Based Derivatives with Optimized Features for Cell Culture Scaffold

Advances in designing smart hydrogels with the structures and properties similar to the interior of extracellular matrix have aroused the interest of researchers as promising cell support scaffolds in the field of tissue engineering. In this study, a novel hydrogel system is developed from natural polysaccharides that are sodium alginate, gelatin and carboxymethyl chitosan through Schiff base cross-linking mechanism. By mixing these three components, the hydrogel system with tunable strength and gelation time was obtained and abbreviated as oxACG hydrogel. Moreover, the obtained hydrogels are biocompatible and can sustain the growth and proliferation of Hela cells after 24 h incubation. The experimental results show that the hydrogel possesses a relatively short gelation time that is around 3 min, high gel strength and negligible cell cytotoxicity. The oxACG hydrogel composite exhibited desirable properties, and they can be used as high-performance multifunctional injectable hydrogels in cell therapy.