Novel pH responsive hydrogels for controlled cell adhesion and triggered surface detachment

Abstract

In the field of tissue engineering, the development of novel switchable cell growth scaffolds and triggered substrate surfaces is desirable for manipulating detachment of cells. In this paper, two kinds of pH-responsive C₂-cyclohexane based cell scaffold biomaterials (G1 and G2) have been designed and synthesized. The highlight is that they can induce detachment of cells from material's surface by slightly reducing the pH of culture medium in an acceptable range. The abilities to culture cells on hydrogel scaffolds and guide cells to detach without proteolytic enzyme treatment are very useful for their development in various biomedical applications.