Issue 31, 2021

Hyaluronic acid-based hydrogels to study cancer cell behaviors

Abstract

Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a natural polysaccharide and a key component of the extracellular matrix (ECM) in many tissues. Therefore, HA-based biomaterials are extensively utilized to create three dimensional ECM mimics to study cell behaviors in vitro. Specifically, derivatives of HA have been commonly used to fabricate hydrogels with controllable properties. In this review, we discuss the various chemistries employed to fabricate HA-based hydrogels as a tunable matrix to mimic the cancer microenvironment and subsequently study cancer cell behaviors in vitro. These include Michael-addition reactions, photo-crosslinking, carbodiimide chemistry, and Diels–Alder chemistry. The utility of these HA-based hydrogels to examine cancer cell behaviors such as proliferation, migration, and invasion in vitro in various types of cancer are highlighted. Overall, such hydrogels provide a biomimetic material-based platform to probe cell-matrix interactions in cancer cells in vitro and study the mechanisms associated with cancer progression.

Graphical abstract: Hyaluronic acid-based hydrogels to study cancer cell behaviors

Article information

Article type
Review Article
Submitted
28 Apr. 2021
Accepted
07 Jūl. 2021
First published
07 Jūl. 2021

J. Mater. Chem. B, 2021,9, 6103-6115

Author version available

Hyaluronic acid-based hydrogels to study cancer cell behaviors

K. Goodarzi and S. S. Rao, J. Mater. Chem. B, 2021, 9, 6103 DOI: 10.1039/D1TB00963J

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