CONICET | Buscador de Institutos y Recursos Humanos

Synthetic or natural hydrogels have mechanical properties and physicochemical characteristics that simulate the properties of the extracellular matrix(EMC) of body tissues, providing an environment that mimics the native cellular milieus and allows cell growth and adhesion. Hydrogels based onpoly-N-isopropylacrylamide (PNIPAM) and their co-polymers have attracted a great attention in the biomedical field due to their biocompatibility,smooth texture, and absence of cytotoxicity against several cell lines, characteristics that would allow tissue development. Based on this background,the aim of this study focused on evaluating the biocompatibility of PNIPAM and co-polymers surfaces with the HEK293 cell line, constituted byhuman embryonic kidney cells, underin vitro conditions. Cytotoxicity, genotoxicity, proliferation, adhesion, and cellular mitotic/fragmentationrelation in contact with surfaces of PNIPAM and co-polymers with neutral or ionic characteristics in different proportions were carried out. The viability and proliferation assays did not show cytotoxic or antiproliferative effects in the presence of any hydrogels studied. No DNA damage or cellcycle abnormalities were detected with PNIPAM. The adopted morphologies by cells on the surfaces, during cell growth and adhesion, varied withthe physical-chemical properties of the materials and with the days of culture. Cytoplasmic and nuclear alterations were observed on hydrogels withthe highest anionic and cationic charge. Similar results were observed in the mitotic/fragmentation relation. However, the cells seeded on thesurfaces of PNIPAM and the co-polymers with a lower percentage of ionic monomer showed a very good compatibility. Therefore, these materialscan be good renal cells scaffolds with clinical potential in the tissue engineering area.