Peroxynitrite Modification as a Way to Improve the Cytocompatibility of Sodium Alginate-Based Hydrogels

Abstract

Sodium alginate is one of the most frequently used materials in biomedicine. However, alginate-based scaffolds have extremely low adhesive properties and have to be improved. The authors have proposed combined hydrogels of gelatin and sodium alginate which have been modified by peroxynitrite in heterophasic conditions using ethanol. It has been determined that thus modified sodium alginate contains an increased level of carbonyl, carboxyl and nitro groups. Authors have developed chemically and chemical-enzymatically cross-linked hydrogels with better adhesive properties and absence of cytotoxicity. Moreover, sodium alginate modification has a positive impact on cell morphology in comparison with control group of non-adhesive alginate-gelatin hydrogels. It allows the further improvement and application of the biomaterial which have been developed by the authors for bioengineering scaffold production and 3D culturing.