| 초록 |
Hydrogels have been widely utilized as a synthetic extracellular matrix (ECM) in tissue engineering applications. Hyaluronate is one of the major ECM components and has been frequently used for tissue regeneration. However, hyaluronate typically requires chemical cross-linkers to form hydrogels. We previously reported a hybrid structure of hyaluronate and alginate, which can form hydrogels via ionic cross-linking in the presence of calcium ions. In this study, hyaluronates with various molecular weights were used to control the mechanical stiffness of hyaluronate-alginate hybrid hydrogels. We found that the mechanical stiffness of hyaluronate-alginate hybrid gels is a key factor to regulate the chondrogenic differentiation of chondrocytes encapsulated within the gels. This hybrid system with controllable mechanical stiffness may be useful for cell delivery in tissue engineering approaches. |
