Mesenchymal stem-like stromal cells from human subcutaneous fat and polyvinylpyrrolidone-based polymeric hydrogels: toxicity and adhesion

Relevance. Mesenchymal stem-like stromal cells (MSCs) represent a promising material for the therapy of restoration or regeneration of bone and cartilage tissues in the treatment of patients with injuries and diseases of the musculoskeletal system. The use of hydrogels for cultivating MSCs will make it possible to protect them after being introduced into the body from to the potentially “hostile” environment of damaged or diseased tissues. To date, the properties of MSCs in their cultivation on matrices based on natural and synthetic materials have not been sufficiently studied.

The aim of this work is to evaluate the toxicity and adhesive properties of hydrogels based on polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP), obtained by two technologies, for MSCs from human adipose tissue (AT) in vitro.

Material and methods. Four sterile PVP hydrogels were used in the experiment, differing in the technology of preparation, the presence or absence of antibiotics. Toxicity was assessed by the number of vital cells (stained with 0.1% trypan blue solution) after adding the MSC suspension to the gels after 24 h. The behavior of MSCs (AT) was studied in dynamics (on days 2 and 5 of cultivation) in terms of the rate and quality of the formed cell monolayer. Morphological analysis of cells, the state of chromatin in the nucleus, and the presence of cytoplasmic inclusions were performed in samples stained with Giemsa dye.

Results. As a result, it was found that human MSCs (AT) are able to attach to the surface of all 4 matrices, represented by a physicochemically modified artificial material based on PVP. Non-toxicity of all 4 hydrogels and their suitability for short-term cell culture were revealed. MSCs (AT) on PVP hydrogels with the addition of antibiotics showed slower growth, while morphological changes were observed in the form of vacuoles in the protoplasm and pycnosis in the chromatin of the cell nucleus.

Conclusion. Thus, the results obtained can be used for further research and improvement of methods for analyzing the cytotoxicity of the drugs under development.