Alginate/chondroitin sulfate based hybrid hydrogel with different molecular weight and its capacity to regulate chondrocytes activity

Chondrocytes culture within three-dimensional (3D) hydrogels is an attractive strategy for expanding their potential in various biomedical applications. Molecular weight (MW) of the polymers used for preparing one-component hydrogels for 3D cell culture can affect the activity of chondrocytes. However, whether MW of double network hydrogels affects cell fate remains to be determined. Here, a ternary hydrogel was employed to encapsulate chondrocytes. By altering MW of alginate, the hybrid hydrogels with different mechanical properties were prepared. The effects of MW on the properties of hydrogels were evaluated in this work. Cell results revealed that chondrocytes encapsulated in low-MW hydrogels exhibited the best results on maintaining cell viability and inhibiting cell death. Additionally, RT-qPCR analysis suggested that the expression of COLII was increased while the expression of IL-1 beta and iNOS was decreased in chondrocytes encapsulated in low-MW hydrogels. Hence, it is reasonable to be expected that the developed low-MW hydrogel should be a promising candidate for cartilage tissue engineering.