KCS

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) play a beneficial role in tissue regeneration with their ability to secrete various trophic factors such as growth factors and bioactive cytokines. However, there are problems, such as a large amount of cells death during transplantation due to inflammation and lack of support. Hydrogels can alleviate this problem by mimicking the complex three-dimensional extracellular matrix. In this experiment, a fast-relaxing hydrogel was prepared to create a suitable environment for MSCs to grow using the imine bond between modified gellan gum and silk fibroin. Having a very low injection force, the composite hydrogel facilitates minimally invasive surgery. Compression test results also showed that the hydrogel can withstand the strain caused by external pressure in the body. As a result of interacting with the complex hydrogel, the cultured cells showed excellent cell proliferation and secreted beneficial growth factors, such as TGF and IGF. This work was supported by Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea(NRF) funded by the Ministry of Science, ICT & Future Planning(NRF-2020R1A2C2103089) and the Bio-Industry Core Technology Development Business (20014222) funded By the Ministry of Trade, Industry & Energy (MOTIE,Korea)