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Consideration of the Mechanical Properties of Hydrogels for Brain Tissue Engineering and Brain-on-a-chip

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Abstract

To present a more physiologically relevant microenvironment for cells, hydrogel-based threedimensional culture platforms have been widely adopted. As noted by multiple pioneering reports, the neural cells are sensitive with the change of mechanical properties of the microenvironment. Therefore, in the context of brain tissue engineering and brain-on-a-chip, there is a need to consider the brain-tissue-specific mechanical properties of hydrogels. In this review, we overview the influence the mechanical properties of hydrogel on the behavior of brain tissue cells. For this purpose, in addition to the stiffness, the viscoelasticity and degradability of hydrogels are considered to be mechanical cues, and we summarize how those mechanical properties can affect cell behavior, such as viability, proliferation, differentiation, and spreading. Consideration of the brain tissue-specific mechanical microenvironment may guide the design of 3D cell culture platforms for brain tissue engineering and brain- on-a-chip.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) grant funded by the Korean Government (MSIT) (grant no. 2018R1A2A3075013) and by the Brain Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Science and ICT (NRF-2016M3C7A1913845). This research was also supported by the Technology Innovation Program (10067787) funded by the Ministry of Trade, Industry & Energy (MOTIE, Korea) and by the KIST Institutional Program (2E27910).

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  1. Center for BioMicrosystems, Brain Science Institute, Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), Seoul, 02792, Korea

    Hong Nam Kim & Nakwon Choi

  2. Division of Bio-Medical Science & Technology, KIST School, Korea University of Science and Technology, Seoul, 02792, Korea

    Hong Nam Kim & Nakwon Choi

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Correspondence to Hong Nam Kim or Nakwon Choi.

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Kim, H.N., Choi, N. Consideration of the Mechanical Properties of Hydrogels for Brain Tissue Engineering and Brain-on-a-chip. BioChip J 13, 8–19 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13206-018-3101-7

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