2. Academic Validation
  3. Velvet antler polypeptide-loaded polyvinyl alcohol-sodium alginate hydrogels promote the differentiation of neural progenitor cells in 3D towards oligodendrocytes in vitro

Velvet antler polypeptide-loaded polyvinyl alcohol-sodium alginate hydrogels promote the differentiation of neural progenitor cells in 3D towards oligodendrocytes in vitro

  • Eur J Pharm Sci. 2021 Dec 1;167:106003. doi: 10.1016/j.ejps.2021.106003.
Siqi Ma 1,  Zhaoqing Cong 1,  Huan Chen 2,  Han Wen 1,  Li Cao 1,  Chunyu Liu 1,  Feifei Yang 3,  Yonghong Liao 4
Affiliations

Affiliations

  • 1 Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substances and Resources Utilization of Chinese Herbal Medicine, Institute of Medicinal Plant Development (IMPLAD), Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, No. 151 Malianwa North Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100193, PR China.
  • 2 Life Sciences and Environmental Sciences Center, Harbin University of Commerce, Harbin, 150076, PR China.
  • 3 Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substances and Resources Utilization of Chinese Herbal Medicine, Institute of Medicinal Plant Development (IMPLAD), Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, No. 151 Malianwa North Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100193, PR China. Electronic address: ffyang@implad.ac.cn.
  • 4 Key Laboratory of Bioactive Substances and Resources Utilization of Chinese Herbal Medicine, Institute of Medicinal Plant Development (IMPLAD), Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, No. 151 Malianwa North Road, Haidian District, Beijing 100193, PR China. Electronic address: yhliao@implad.ac.cn.
PMID: 34517106 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejps.2021.106003
Abstract

Three-dimensional (3D) culture of neural progenitor cells (NPCs) in hydrogels represents a powerful means for recapitulating neurodevelopment, disease modelling and drug discovery. However, the differentiation of NPCs to oligodendrocytes in 3D scaffolds remains a great challenge. In this study, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) - sodium alginate (SA) composite hydrogels intended for NPC culture in 3D were fabricated by ionic crosslinking between SA and calcium ions. It was demonstrated that adding PVA to the composite hydrogels resulted in increases in pore size and swelling rate and decreases in elastic moduli as the PVA proportion was enhanced. In addition, the composite hydrogels were biocompatible with mouse NPCs and improved the proliferation of the encapsulated NPCs compared with SA hydrogels. Moreover, when velvet antler polypeptides (VAPs), which were capable of facilitating the differentiation of NPCs to oligodendrocyte fate in 2D, were loaded into PVA-SA hydrogels, NPCs differentiated into neurons, astrocytes and oligodendrocytes, with the presence of VAPs promoting oligodendrogenesis in a dose-dependant manner. The present composite hydrogels provide a suitable scaffold for the construction of neural tissue engineering and Neurological Disease modelling.

Keywords

3D culture; Neural progenitor cells; Oligodendrocytes; PVA-SA hydrogels; Velvet antler polypeptides.

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