Angewandte Chemie - International Edition
Angewandte Chemie - International Edition
5 years ago

Supramolecular Nanofibrillar Thermoreversible Hydrogel for Growth and Release of Cancer Spheroids

Supramolecular Nanofibrillar Thermoreversible Hydrogel for Growth and Release of Cancer Spheroids
Nancy Khuu, Albert Gevorkian, Heloise Therien-Aubin, Sangho Cho, Yunfeng Li, Yihe Wang, Eugenia Kumacheva, Sharon Sarjinsky
Growth of three-dimensional cancer spheroids (CSs) in man-made hydrogels mimicking natural extracellular matrix is an important and challenging task. Herein, we report on a supramolecular temperature-responsive hydrogel designed for the growth and subsequent release of CSs. A filamentous hydrogel was formed at 37 °C from an aqueous suspension of cellulose nanocrystals surface-functionalized with temperature-responsive polymer molecules. The encapsulation of cells in the hydrogel enabled effective growth of CSs with dimensions determined by the concentration of cellulose nanocrystals in the hydrogel. On demand release of CSs without loss of cell viability and spheroid integrity was achieved upon hydrogel cooling. The tumorigenic properties of the released CSs were examined by encapsulating and re-growing them in fibrin hydrogel. The results in this work can be used in fundamental cancer research and in cancer drug screening. Release upon cooling: A supramolecular nanofibrillar thermoreversible hydrogel was prepared from cellulose nanocrystals modified by poly(N-isopropylacrylamide). The hydrogel supports three-dimensional growth of cancer spheroids and facilitates their release upon cooling.

Publisher URL: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/resolve/doi

DOI: 10.1002/anie.201610353

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