Exploiting maleimide-functionalized hyaluronan hydrogels to test cellular responses to physical and biochemical stimuli

Current in vitro 3D models of liver tissue have been limited by the inability to study the effects of specific extracellular matrix (ECM) components on cell phenotypes. This is in part due to limitations in the availability of chemical modifications appropriate for this purpose. For example, hyaluronic acid (HA), which is a natural ECM component within the liver, lacks key ECM motifs (e.g., RGD peptides) that support cell adhesion. However, the addition of maleimide (Mal) groups to HA could facilitate the conjugation of ECM biomimetic peptides with thiol-containing end groups. In this study, we characterized a new crosslinkable hydrogel (i.e., HA-Mal) that yielded a simplified ECM-mimicking microenvironment supportive of 3D liver cell culture. We then performed a series of experiments to assess the impact of physical and biochemical signaling in the form of RGD peptide incorporation and TGF- ß supplementation, respectively, on hepatic functionality. Hepatic stellate cells (i.e., LX-2) exhibited increased cell-matrix interactions in the form of cell spreading and elongation within HA-Mal matrices containing RGD peptides, enabling physical adhesions, whereas hepatocyte-like cells (HepG2) had reduced albumin and urea production. We further exposed the encapsulated cells to soluble TGF-ß to elicit a fibrosis-like state. In the presence of TGF-ß biochemical signals, LX-2 cells became activated and HepG2 functionality significantly decreased in both RGD-containing and RGD-free hydrogels. Altogether, in this study we have developed a hydrogel biomaterial platform that allows for discrete manipulation of specific ECM motifs within the hydrogel to better understand the roles of cell-matrix interactions on cell phenotype and overall liver functionality.