Regeneration of neurite-like cells from induced pluripotent stem cells in self-assembled hyaluronic acid-gelatin microhydrogel

Hybrid microhydrogel comprising hyaluronic acid (HA) and gelatin (Gel) was self-assembled with repeating units and used to culture induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells for neuronal production. HA and Gel were conjugated with methacrylic anhydride (MA), photocrosslinked to fabricate singlet particles, organized for cell-laden HAMA-GelMA constructs, and employed to differentiate iPS cells. We found that an increase in the microhydrogel concentration from 6% to 10% (w/v) reduced the swelling ratio of self assembled HAMA-GelMA scaffolds and enhanced the encapsulation efficiency of iPS cells. In addition, an increase in the weight percentage of HAMA promoted the swelling ratio of self-assembled HAMA-GelMA scaffolds and decreased the encapsulation efficiency of iPS cells. Immunochemical staining and flow cytometry demonstrated that the order in the ability to differentiate iPS cells toward neural lineage was HAMA-GelMA construct < construct with CDPGYIGSR < construct with CSRARKQAASIKVAVSADR < construct with the two defined peptides. The current self-assembled HAMA-GelMA constructs with neurite-inductive factor can be of potential to duplicate an engineered tissue from iPS cells to reframe nervous systems. (C) 2016 Taiwan Institute of Chemical Engineers. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.