Preparation of HA-Dex supramolecular hydrogel for cell encapsulation

In this study, hyaluronic acid/β-cyclodextrin conjugate(HA-CD)and dextrin/2-naphthylacetic acid conjugate(Dex-NAA)were prepared, respectively. Their chemical structures were confirmed by ¹H NMR, the degrees of substitution(DS)of HA-CD and Dex-NAA were determined to be 15. 53% and 7. 38%, respectively. A supramolecular hydrogel was subsequently prepared by the host-guest interaction between β-CD and 2-NAA based on these two gelators. Based on scanning electron microscopy(SEM)observation illustrated that the hydrogel had regularly porous architecture. Rheological analysis exhibited that the storage modulus of the hydrogel was higher than the loss modulus, indicating good mechanical strength. Meanwhile, the hydrogel showed favorable biocompatibility and could, therefore, encapsulate cells in situ, leading to promotion of cell proliferation and growth. This natural polysaccharide-based supramolecular hydrogel is promising in the application of tissue engineering as cell scaffold.