Premium
An in vitro assessment of the response of THP‐1 macrophages to varying stiffness of a glycol‐chitosan hydrogel for vocal fold tissue engineering applications
Author(s) -
Coburn Patrick Thomas,
Herbay Alexandre Camille,
Berrini Mattia,
LiJessen Nicole Y. K.
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of biomedical materials research part a
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.849
H-Index - 150
eISSN - 1552-4965
pISSN - 1549-3296
DOI - 10.1002/jbm.a.37125
Subject(s) - self healing hydrogels , materials science , tissue engineering , biomedical engineering , chitosan , biomaterial , cell encapsulation , biophysics , rheometry , nanotechnology , composite material , viscoelasticity , chemistry , polymer chemistry , medicine , biochemistry , biology
Abstract The physical properties of a biomaterial play an essential role in regulating immune and reparative activities within the host tissue. This study aimed to evaluate the immunological impact of material stiffness of a glycol‐chitosan hydrogel designed for vocal fold tissue engineering. Hydrogel stiffness was varied via the concentration of glyoxal cross‐linker applied. Hydrogel mechanical properties were characterized through atomic force microscopy and shear plate rheometry. Using a transwell setup, macrophages were co‐cultured with human vocal fold fibroblasts that were embedded within the hydrogel. Macrophage viability and cytokine secretion were evaluated at 3, 24, and 72 hr of culture. Flow cytometry was applied to evaluate macrophage cell surface markers after 72 hr of cell culture. Results indicated that increasing hydrogel stiffness was associated with increased anti‐inflammatory activity compared to relevant controls. In addition, increased anti‐inflammatory activity was observed in hydrogel co‐cultures. This study highlighted the importance of hydrogel stiffness from an immunological viewpoint when designing novel vocal fold hydrogels.