Abstract The development of blended gelatin and glycosaminoglycan (GAG) scaffolds can potentially be used in many soft tissue engineering applications since these scaffolds mimic the structure and biological function of native extracellular matrix (ECM). In this study, we were able to obtain a gelatin-GAG by using a concentrated emulsion templating technique known as high internal phase emulsion (HIPE), in which a prevailing in volume organic phase is dispersed in the form of discrete droplets inside an aqueous solution of three biopolymers represented by gelatin, hyaluronic acid (HA) and chondroitin sulfate (CS) in the presence of a suitable surfactant. In order to preserve the bioactive potential of the biopolymers employed, the cross-linking procedure involved the use of transglutaminase (MTGase) that catalyses the formation of covalent N-ε-(γ-glutamyl) lysine amide bonds. Since both HA and CS do not posses the necessary primary amino groups towards which MTGase is active, they were functionalised with the dipeptide glycine-lysine (GK). In this way the introduction of foreign cross linking bridging units with an unpredictable biocompatibility was avoided. These enzymatic cross-linked gelatin-GAG scaffolds were tested in the culture of primary rat and C3A hepatocytes. Results underlined the good performance of this novel support in maintaining and promoting hepatocyte functions in vitro.

A biomimetic porous hydrogel of gelatin and glycosaminoglycans cross-linked with transglutaminase and its application in the culture of hepatocytes

MASSIMI, MARA
;
2012-01-01

Abstract

Abstract The development of blended gelatin and glycosaminoglycan (GAG) scaffolds can potentially be used in many soft tissue engineering applications since these scaffolds mimic the structure and biological function of native extracellular matrix (ECM). In this study, we were able to obtain a gelatin-GAG by using a concentrated emulsion templating technique known as high internal phase emulsion (HIPE), in which a prevailing in volume organic phase is dispersed in the form of discrete droplets inside an aqueous solution of three biopolymers represented by gelatin, hyaluronic acid (HA) and chondroitin sulfate (CS) in the presence of a suitable surfactant. In order to preserve the bioactive potential of the biopolymers employed, the cross-linking procedure involved the use of transglutaminase (MTGase) that catalyses the formation of covalent N-ε-(γ-glutamyl) lysine amide bonds. Since both HA and CS do not posses the necessary primary amino groups towards which MTGase is active, they were functionalised with the dipeptide glycine-lysine (GK). In this way the introduction of foreign cross linking bridging units with an unpredictable biocompatibility was avoided. These enzymatic cross-linked gelatin-GAG scaffolds were tested in the culture of primary rat and C3A hepatocytes. Results underlined the good performance of this novel support in maintaining and promoting hepatocyte functions in vitro.
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11697/2353
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