In this contribution we report insights on the rheological properties of chia (Salvia hispanica) seed mucilage hydrogels. Specifically, we studied the influence of temperature and polymer concentration on the viscoelastic properties of resulting networks. Creep experiments performed in steady-state conditions allowed calculating Newtonian viscosities for chia hydrogels at different polymer concentrations, pointing at inter-chain interactions as the main responsible for the different behavior toward network slipping under constant stress. The combination of oscillatory frequency and stress sweep tests highlighted a moderate effect of temperature in influencing hydrogel mechanics. The latter results prompted us to investigate potential biological functions for this set of biomaterials. Lactate Dehydrogenase assay proved lack of cytotoxicity of chia suspensions toward Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells from adipose tissue here used as cell model. Differentiation experiments were finally undertaken to verify the influence of chia samples on osteo-induction triggered by chemical differentiation factors. Alkaline Phosphatase enzyme activity assay and Alizarin red staining demonstrated that chia mucilage did not alter in vitro stem cell differentiation. Collectively, this set of experiments revealed an almost inert role associated with chia suspensions, indicating a possible application of chia-based networks as scaffold models to study osteogenesis in vitro.
Insights into Mechanical Behavior and Biological Properties of Chia Seed Mucilage Hydrogels
Matilde ColellaWriting – Review & Editing
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2021-01-01
Abstract
In this contribution we report insights on the rheological properties of chia (Salvia hispanica) seed mucilage hydrogels. Specifically, we studied the influence of temperature and polymer concentration on the viscoelastic properties of resulting networks. Creep experiments performed in steady-state conditions allowed calculating Newtonian viscosities for chia hydrogels at different polymer concentrations, pointing at inter-chain interactions as the main responsible for the different behavior toward network slipping under constant stress. The combination of oscillatory frequency and stress sweep tests highlighted a moderate effect of temperature in influencing hydrogel mechanics. The latter results prompted us to investigate potential biological functions for this set of biomaterials. Lactate Dehydrogenase assay proved lack of cytotoxicity of chia suspensions toward Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells from adipose tissue here used as cell model. Differentiation experiments were finally undertaken to verify the influence of chia samples on osteo-induction triggered by chemical differentiation factors. Alkaline Phosphatase enzyme activity assay and Alizarin red staining demonstrated that chia mucilage did not alter in vitro stem cell differentiation. Collectively, this set of experiments revealed an almost inert role associated with chia suspensions, indicating a possible application of chia-based networks as scaffold models to study osteogenesis in vitro.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.