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Evaluating the Feasibility of Hydrogel-Based Neural Cell Sprays

Evans, Daisy; Barcons, Aina Mogas; Basit, Raja Haseeb; Adams, Christopher; Chari, Divya Maitreyi

Authors

Daisy Evans

Aina Mogas Barcons

Raja Haseeb Basit

Christopher Adams



Abstract

Neurological injuries have poor prognoses with serious clinical sequelae. Stem cell transplantation enhances neural repair but is hampered by low graft survival (<ca. 5%), necessitating the development of approaches to enhance post-transplant cell viability. Intracerebral injection exerts high mechanical forces on transplant cells with risks of haemorrhage/infection. Transplant cell sprays can offer a non-invasive alternative. This study has assessed if the addition of protective, encapsulating polymer hydrogels to a cell spray format is feasible. Hydrogels (0.1% (1 mg/mL), 0.3% and 0.6% type I rat tail collagen) were trialled for spray deliverability. Cell-enriched hydrogels (containing mouse cortical astrocytes) were sprayed onto culture substrates. Astrocyte viability, cell-specific marker expression, morphology and proliferation were assessed at 24 h and 72 h post spraying. Intra-gel astrocytes and hydrogels could be co-stained using a double immunocytological technique (picrosirius red (PR)/DAB-peroxidase co-labelling). Astrocyte viability remained high post spraying with hydrogel encapsulation (>ca. 80%) and marker expression/proliferative potential of hydrogel-sprayed astrocytes was retained. Combining a cell spray format with polymer encapsulation technologies could form the basis of a non-invasive graft delivery method, offering potential advantages over current cell delivery approaches.

Citation

Evans, D., Barcons, A. M., Basit, R. H., Adams, C., & Chari, D. M. (in press). Evaluating the Feasibility of Hydrogel-Based Neural Cell Sprays. Journal of Functional Biomaterials, 14(10), Article 527. https://doi.org/10.3390/jfb14100527

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Oct 11, 2023
Online Publication Date Oct 19, 2023
Deposit Date Nov 6, 2023
Journal Journal of Functional Biomaterials
Print ISSN 2079-4983
Publisher MDPI
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 14
Issue 10
Article Number 527
DOI https://doi.org/10.3390/jfb14100527
Keywords Biomedical Engineering, Biomaterials