Objectives: This study aimed at optimizing the composition of Ag-Al hydrogel beads and their dissolving agents for potential use in the transportation of stem cells.
Methods: Various agarose, alginate, and CaCl2 concentrations were tested to construct hydrogel beads. The degradation rate and swelling ratio of each hydrogel sample were recorded. The optimized Ag-Al hydrogels were used for encapsulation of stem cells from human exfoliated deciduous teeth (SHED). Optimization of dissolving agents was performed and tested with the hydrogel-encapsulated cells. Data were statistically analyzed in SPSS.
Results: The selected concentration of Ag-Al hydrogels components was successfully demonstrated to encapsulate SHED, which remained viable until day 10. An average of 2 min was required for degradation of the hydrogel with encapsulated SHED by a dissolving agent consisting of 100 mM sodium citrate and 100 mM EDTA. The cell viability of SHED released after day 10 of encapsulation was 29.1%.
Conclusion: Alteration of Ag-Al components has considerable influence on the mechanical properties of the constructed hydrogel. The feasibility of performing the optimized cell encapsulation protocol, as well as the dissolving step, may provide a useful guide for the transportation of viable cells between countries, for medical research.