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Gelatin—Hyaluronic Acid Hydrogels with Tuned Stiffness to Counterbalance Cellular Forces and Promote Cell Differentiation
Author(s) -
PovedaReyes Sara,
Moulisova Vladimira,
SanmartínMasiá Esther,
QuintanillaSierra Luis,
SalmerónSánchez Manuel,
Ferrer Gloria Gallego
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
macromolecular bioscience
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.924
H-Index - 105
eISSN - 1616-5195
pISSN - 1616-5187
DOI - 10.1002/mabi.201500469
Subject(s) - self healing hydrogels , c2c12 , gelatin , hyaluronic acid , extracellular matrix , chemistry , biophysics , cell encapsulation , cellular differentiation , biomedical engineering , polymer chemistry , anatomy , biochemistry , myogenesis , in vitro , medicine , biology , gene
Cells interact mechanically with their environment, exerting mechanical forces that probe the extracellular matrix (ECM). The mechanical properties of the ECM determine cell behavior and control cell differentiation both in 2D and 3D environments. Gelatin (Gel) is a soft hydrogel into which cells can be embedded. This study shows significant 3D Gel shrinking due to the high traction cellular forces exerted by the cells on the matrix, which prevents cell differentiation. To modulate this process, Gel with hyaluronic acid (HA) has been combined in an injectable crosslinked hydrogel with controlled Gel–HA ratio. HA increases matrix stiffness. The addition of small amounts of HA leads to a significant reduction in hydrogel shrinking after cell encapsulation (C2C12 myoblasts). We show that hydrogel stiffness counterbalanced traction forces of cells and this was decisive in promoting cell differentiation and myotube formation of C2C12 encapsulated in the hybrid hydrogels.