Perfluorinated alginate for cellular encapsulation

Molecules of pentadecafluorooctanoyl chloride (PFC) were grafted onto alginate (Alg) using a linear poly(ethylene glycol) linker and amide bonds. The resulting Alg-PFC material was characterized by proton nuclear magnetic resonance and infrared spectroscopies. The degree of PFC functionalization significantly influenced the physical and chemical properties of Alg-PFC, particularly when the resulting polymer was ionically crosslinked into hydrogels. Alg-PFC hydrogel beads fabricated via Ba(2+) crosslinking were found to match the permeability properties of control alginate beads, except upon swelling over time in culture media. When used to encapsulate MIN6 cells, a beta cell line, Alg-PFC beads demonstrated enhanced cell proliferation over alginate control beads. These results indicate that Alg-PFC hydrogels retain some of the PFC's biological-relevant benefits, such as enhancement of mass transport and bioinertness, to enhance cellular viability within alginate three-dimensional hydrogel environments. We envision these functionalized hydrogels to be particularly useful in the encapsulation of cells with a high metabolic demand, such as pancreatic islets.