Partially degalactosylated xyloglucan hydrogel artificial niches enhance human spheroids derived from adipose stem cells stemness and differentiation potential

•dXG hydrogels enhance stemness of adipose stem cells, especially at low concentrations.•dXG gels promote early gene expression linked to stem cell differentiation.•Low concentration dXG forms looser networks, aiding spheroid reassembly in gels.•dXG hydrogels show higher support for chondrocytic and adipocytic differentiation. The role of the hydrogels in cell differentiation and proliferation is critical to the development of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine applications. Understanding the specific mechanisms by which hydrogels interact with cells and how they might influence their behaviour could lead to the design of more effective systems. We analysed the proliferation and mRNAs expression of the spheroids from adipose stem cells (SASCs) mixed to partially degalactosylated xyloglucan (dXG) in a generic culture medium without specific stimulus to assess whether the hydrogel is an “active” or “passive” component in a regenerative context. Overall, our results showed that dXG-based niches with the lowest polymer concentration (1 %w), without recourse to biochemical induction can support cell proliferation and higher commitment toward mesenchymal differentiation. Hypothesis: Partially degalactosylated xyloglucan hydrogels function as an "active" component in regulating the proliferation and gene expression of adipose stem cell spheroids for regenerative applications.