EFFECT OF DIFFERENT SODIUM ALGINATE COMPOSITIONS ON 3D MICROCAPSULE STRUCTURE AND CELL VIABILITY

Abstract

Despite the constant expansion of the global alginate market and the emergence of a plethora of new brands to meet the rising demand, the literature remains insufficient for the selection and preparation of optimized microcapsules. In this study, the cell transplantation potentials of two commercial alginate brands (Sigma and FMC Biopolymers-PRONATAL) with different M/G ratios were compared in vitro. Different brands of alginates were crosslinked with increasing concentrations of calcium chloride (1.5%, 2%, and 3%w/v). Utilizing size/dimension measurements, compression, swelling, and degradation tests, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and bright field (BF) imaging, the intrastructure of each experimental group was investigated. Moreover, the cell viability of HDF-encapsulated Ca-alginate microcapsules was evaluated. According to SEM and compression analysis, PROTANAL KF200 with a lower M/G ratio was found to be more rigid and robust. Due to the different proportions of MM and GG blocks, Sigma Ca-alginate microcapsules exhibited greater flexibility but lower hardness than PRONATAL KF200 microcapsules. However, there was no significant difference in cell viability between the alginate microcapsules. In future in vivo experiments, encouraging cell transplantation outcomes could be monitored by the choice of PROTANAL KF200 sodium alginate polymer for the microcapsule preparation.