Identification and Analysis of Key Parameters for the Ossification on Particle Functionalized Composites Hydrogel Materials

Developing
materials for tissue engineering and studying the mechanisms of cell
adhesion is a complex and multifactor process that needs analysis
using physical chemistry and biology. The major challenge is the labor-intensive
data mining as well as requirements of the number of advanced techniques.
For example, hydrogel-based biomaterials with cell-binding sites,
tunable mechanical properties, and complex architectures have emerged
as a powerful tool to control cell adhesion and proliferation for
tissue engineering. Composite hydrogels could be used for bone tissue
regeneration, but they exhibit poor ossification properties. In current
work, we have designed new osteoinductive gellan gum hydrogels by
a thermal annealing approach and consequently functionalized them
with Ca/Mg carbonate submicron particles. Determination of key parameters,
which influence a successful hydroxyapatite generation, was done
via the principal component analysis of 18 parameters (Young’s
modulus of the hydrogel and particles, particle size, and mass) and
cell behavior at various time points (like viability, numbers of the
cells, rate of alkaline phosphatase production, and cells area) obtained
by characterizing such composite hydrogel. It is determined that the
particles size and concentration of calcium ions have a dominant effect
on the hydroxyapatite formation, because of providing local areas
with a high Young’s modulus in a hydrogel, a desirable property
for cell adhesion. The detailed analysis presented here allows identifying
hydrogels for cell growth applications, while on the other hand, material
properties can be predicted, and their overall number can be minimized
leading to efficient optimization of bone reconstruction and other
cell growth applications.