Encapsulation of biological components in hydrogels is a well described method for controlled drug delivery of proteins, tissue engineering and intestinal colonization with beneficial bacteria. Given the potential of tissue engineering in clinical practice, this study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of encapsulation of adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) of mules in sodium alginate. We evaluated capsule morphology and cell viability, immunophenotype and release after encapsulation. Circular and irregular pores were observed on the hydrogel surface, in which MSCs were present and alive. Capsules demonstrated good capacity of absorption of liquid and cell viability was consistently high through the time points, indicating proper nutrient diffusion. Flow cytometry showed stability of stem cell surface markers, whereas immunohistochemistry revealed the expression of CD44 and absence of MHC-II through 7 days of culture. Stem cell encapsulation in sodium alginate hydrogel is a feasible technique that does not compromise cell viability and preserves their undifferentiated status, becoming a relevant option to further studies of tridimensional culture systems and in vivo bioactive agents delivery.

中文翻译：

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用于干细胞递送的海藻酸盐水凝胶胶囊的体外生物学性能。

将生物成分封装在水凝胶中是一种很好的描述方法，用于控制蛋白质的药物递送、组织工程和有益细菌的肠道定植。鉴于组织工程在临床实践中的潜力，本研究旨在评估将骡的脂肪组织来源的间充质干细胞 (MSC) 封装在海藻酸钠中的可行性。我们评估了胶囊形态和细胞活力、免疫表型和包封后的释放。在水凝胶表面观察到圆形和不规则的孔，其中 MSC 存在并存活。胶囊表现出良好的液体吸收能力，并且在整个时间点细胞活力始终很高，表明营养物质扩散适当。流式细胞术显示干细胞表面标志物的稳定性，而免疫组织化学显示，培养 7 天后 CD44 表达，MHC-II 不存在。海藻酸钠水凝胶中的干细胞封装是一种可行的技术，它不会损害细胞活力并保持其未分化状态，成为进一步研究三维培养系统和体内生物活性剂递送的相关选择。