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 Ba2+ 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. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A 2012.