GROWTH POTENTIAL OF CELLS ENCAPSULATED IN DIFFERENT ALGINIC ACID SALTS

Atrium

Objective. The objective of this study was to assess survival of cells in different salts of alginic acid. Background. Alginates are versatile natural polymers that are used for various biomedical applications. They also serve as scaffolds for encapsulation of cells and other labile bioactive components. Methods. Human osteoblast cells (CRL1427) and HeLa cells (ATCC, Manassas,VA) were cultured under standard culture conditions. Cells (1×106 cells/ml) suspended in a 1.2% (w/v) solution of sodium, potassium and triethanolamine alginates (1.2% w/v), and were extruded through a syringe fitted with 26G-needle into a solution of 100mM CaCl2 under constant stirring. The beads were collected by gravity sedimentation, and washed with phosphate buffered saline. The cell viability was measured using a colorimetric MTT assay. The data was analyzed using analysis of variance (ANOVA) and P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results. The percent viability of the encapsulated HeLA and CRL1427 varied with the alginate salt used. Encapsulated HeLA cells in Triethanolamine alginate showed 1.2 fold greater viability compared to cells encapsulated in sodium alginate. In potassium alginate, the cell survival was significantly increased compared to the ones in sodium alginate. However, there was no significant difference in the survival of CRL1427 cells in various alginate salts used in the study. Conclusion. Our studies showed that the cell viability within the alginate is cell type dependent. Furthermore, potassium or triethanolamine salts of alginic acid are promising scaffold materials for the use of various cell types, and can potentially be used for cell- based tissue engineering applications. Grants. HPD Grant