Design of tetra-arm PEG-crosslinked thermoresponsive hydrogel for 3D cell culture

We synthesized poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) gel containing cell-adhesive peptides, RGDS pendants, and crosslinked by a hydrophilic polymer. Since gelation occurs by simply mixing the polymers, cells can be simultaneously encapsulated inside the gel during gelation. This gel has roughly a 15% volume change between 25 and 37°C, and is transparent at both temperatures. Moreover, adhesion of encapsulated C2C12 cells to the gel could be observed. This thermoresponsive gel would be potentially useful as a cell culture material that can control cell fate by changing mechanical properties of the cell's external environment.