Plasma Modification of 3D Hydrogels for Cell Culture Applications

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine plasma effect on to the different structures including 2D glass slidesand 3D treated Gelma hydrogels with an increased range of biodegradation rates for more rapid in vivo biodegradationin tissue engineering and bioactive factor delivery applications. Considering the known excellentbiocompatibility of GELMA, we envision that this hydrogel material could be potentially used intissue engineering and for the purpose of directing the growth and migration of cells. Another dimensionof this study is plasma patterning of the substrates. This method has been employed to form diverse networksof different cell types for investigations involving migration, signaling, tissue formation, and the behaviorand interactions of neurons arraigned in a network. As a result of these, we investigated whetherthe swelling behavior, degradation profiles, and cell proliferation properties of photocrosslinked hydrogelsformed by methacrylated and plasma treated are tunable by varying the degree of plasma conditions. Thepotential applicability of these photocrosslinked GELMA hydrogels as a carrier of embryonic stem cells(ESCs) was also examined in vitro.