Dynamic and self-biodegradable polysaccharide hydrogel stores embryonic stem cell construct under ambient condition

Kuan Yang; Wei Wei; Li Ting Gao; Xin Yi Zhao; Zhenqi Liu; Jianhui Li; Haopeng Li; Hideyuki Miyatake; Yoshihiro Ito; Yong Mei Chen

doi:10.3389/fbioe.2023.1169124

Dynamic and self-biodegradable polysaccharide hydrogel stores embryonic stem cell construct under ambient condition

Front Bioeng Biotechnol. 2023 May 11:11:1169124. doi: 10.3389/fbioe.2023.1169124. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Kuan Yang¹, Wei Wei¹, Li Ting Gao¹, Xin Yi Zhao¹, Zhenqi Liu², Jianhui Li³, Haopeng Li⁴, Hideyuki Miyatake⁵, Yoshihiro Ito⁵, Yong Mei Chen¹

Affiliations

¹ College of Bioresources Chemical and Materials Engineering, National Demonstration Center for Experimental Light Chemistry Engineering Education, Shaanxi University of Science and Technology, Xi'an, China.
² College of Chemistry, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China.
³ Department of Surgical Oncology, Shaanxi Provincial People's Hospital, Xi'an, China.
⁴ Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, China.
⁵ Nano Medical Engineering Laboratory, RIKEN Cluster for Pioneering Research, Emergent Bioengineering Materials Research Team, RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science, Wako, Japan.

Abstract

The proper microenvironment is critical for the storage and transportation of embryonic stem cells (ESCs). To mimic a dynamic 3D microenvironment as it exists in vivo and consider "off-the-shelf" availability reaching the destination, we proposed an alternative approach that allows for facile storage and transportation of stem cells in the form of ESCs-dynamic hydrogel construct (CDHC) under ambient conditions. To form CDHC, mouse embryonic stem cells (mESCs) were in-situ encapsulated within a polysaccharide-based dynamic and self-biodegradable hydrogel. After storing CDHC in a sterile and hermetic environment for 3 days and then transferring to a sealed vessel with fresh medium for another 3 days, the large and compact colonies retained a 90% survival rate and pluripotency. Furthermore, after transporting and arriving at the destination, the encapsulated stem cell could be automatically released from the self-biodegradable hydrogel. After continuous cultivation of 15 generations of retrieved cells, automatically released from the CDHC, the mESCs underwent 3D encapsulation, storage, transportation, release, and continuous long-term subculture; resumed colony forming capacity and pluripotency were revealed by stem cell markers both in protein and mRNA levels. We believe that the dynamic and self-biodegradable hydrogel provides a simple, cost-effective, and valuable tool for storing and transporting "ready-to-use" CDHC under ambient conditions, facilitating "off-the-shelf" availability and widespread applications.

Keywords: ambient condition; dynamic polysaccharide hydrogel; embryonic stem cell construct; self-biodegradation; storage.

Grants and funding

This work was supported by Key Intergovernmental Special Projects of the National Key R & D Plan of the People’s Republic of China (2022YFE0104200); International Science & Technology Key Research and Development Program of Shaanxi (2020KWZ-006); High-end foreign expert introduction plan (G20200241017); The research project grant of the joint logistic support force (BLB18J014); YC is grateful for the startup funds from Shaanxi University of Science and Technology.