Structural changes in alginate-based microspheres exposed to in vivo environment as revealed by confocal Raman microscopy.

ABSTRACT: A next-generation cure for type 1 diabetes relies on immunoprotection of insulin-producing cells, which can be achieved by their encapsulation in microspheres made of non-covalently crosslinked hydrogels. Treatment success is directly related to the microsphere structure that is characterized by the localization of the polymers constituting the hydrogel material. However, due to the lack of a suitable analytical method, it is presently unknown how the microsphere structure changes in vivo, which complicates evaluation of different encapsulation approaches. Here, confocal Raman microscopy (CRM) imaging was tailored to serve as a powerful new tool for tracking structural changes in two major encapsulation designs, alginate-based microbeads and multi-component microcapsules. CRM analyses befo

SUBMITTER: Kronekova Z 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5785987 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature