Viability of Human Umbilical Cord Cells in the Presence of Chelated Carboxymethyl CelluloseBeads

Objective. Investigate influence of aluminum-carboxymethyl cellulose (Al-CMC) complex on cell viability in human umbilical cord-derived Mesenchymal Stem cells (hMSCs). Background. When developing cell scaffolds and controlled delivery platforms made of chelated CMC, the effect of complex components on cell viability should be thoroughly investigated. Methods. A 1% w/v aqueous solution of sodium CMC was extruded dropwise into 50mL of 5% w/v AlCl3, 6H2O solution forming beads via ionic gelation. Tube diameter and composition were varied during extrusion to generate different bead sizes. After 15 minutes, the Al-CMC beads were eluded and triple washed with distilled water. 30 × 104 of hMSCs were first suspended in a growth medium and then plated in a flat bottom 24-well plate, and allowed to adhere for 4-5 hours. Cells were then exposed to 30 mg of Al-CMC beads and incubated at 37°C in 5% CO2 for 48 hours. Cell viability was assessed using MTT assay at 570nm absorbance. One-way ANOVA was used for the statistical analysis. Results. When compared to control, cell viability was overall decreased by approximately 30%. In the presence of beads with diameter 0.05, 2.20, 2.72, or 3.5mm cell viability was 71.8 ± 0.04, 71.0 ± 0.02, 64.2 ± 0.04, and 73.6 ± 0.04% (mean ± SD, n = 4) respectively. Conclusion. The Al-CMC complex was considered cytotoxic to hMSCs; this effect was size-independent over the bead diameter ranges studied. Further research is needed to determine if the hydrocolloid, cation, or complex cause these effects. Grant # 335525