Hi,
I am trying to encapsulate human primary cells in an PEGDMA (750 Mn) hydro-gel using the Irgacure 2959 photo initiator. I am having an issue with very low cell viability after polymerizing. I have performed a number of sensitivity studies and I have found uncrosslinked PEG to be cytotoxic even at 1% v/v. I purchased the PEGDMA in liquid form and it has MEHQ added. Could this be killing the cells. Currently, I do not perform a purification procedure on the monomer solution (it comes in liquid form). The literature says that PEG is bio-compatible and I assume the methacrylate ends would not be this toxic. Has anyone had similar issues with the inhibitor or PEG monomer?
Dear Matthew Rich, you have to decide whether PEG is toxic (as you said at the beginning) or biocompatible (as you said at the end) with respect to the application you are intending. The stabilizer or inhibitor can be eliminated by simple extraction or dialysis. My Regards
Hi Matthew,
PEG itself is not cytotoxic, as it is investigated in many articles. But some derivatives of PEG like PEGDMA or PEGDA, which are synthesized by using methacrylic anhydride or other compounds, can be cytotoxic if the final batch did not dialyze well. And it's because of the presence of unreacted ions that should be removed by dialysis. Besides, be careful about the concentration of iragacure 2959 as initiator, as it can cause cytotoxicity.
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