The role of pore size and mechanical properties on the accumulation, retention and distribution of F98 glioblastoma cells in macroporous hydrogels.

Glioblastoma (GBM) accounts for half of all central nervous system tumors. Once the tumor is removed, many GBM cells remain present near the surgical cavity and infiltrate the brain up to a distance of 20-30 mm, resulting in recurrence a few months later. GBM remains incurable due to the limited efficiency of current treatments, a result of the blood-brain barrier and sensitivity of healthy brain tissues to chemotherapy and radiation. A new therapeutic paradigm under development to treat GBM is to attract and accumulate GBM cells in a cancer cell trap inserted in the surgical cavity after tumor resection. In this work, porous gels were prepared using porous polylactide molds obtained from melt-processed co-continuous polymer blends of polystyrene and polylactide, with an average pore size ranging from 5 µm to over 500 µm. In order to efficiently accumulate and retain GBM brain cancer cells within a macroporous sodium alginate-based hydrogel trap, the pores must have an average diameter superior to 100 µm, with the best results obtained at 225 µm. In that case, the accumulation and retention of F98 GBM cells were more homogeneous, especially when functionalized with RGD adhesion peptides. At an alginate concentration of 1% w/v, the compression modulus reaches 15 kPa, close to the average value of 1-2 kPa reported for brain tissues, while adhesion and retention were also superior compared to 2% w/v gels. Overall, 1% w/v gels with 225 µm pores functionalized with the RGD peptide display the best performances.

Effect of Chitosan on Alginate-Based Macroporous Hydrogels for the Capture of Glioblastoma Cancer Cells.

Glioblastoma multiforme is a type of brain cancer associated with a very low survival rate since a large number of cancer cells remain infiltrated in the brain despite the treatments currently available. This work presents a macroporous hydrogel trap, destined to be implanted in the surgical cavity following tumor resection and designed to attract and retain cancer cells, in order to eliminate them afterward with a lethal dose of stereotactic radiotherapy. The biocompatible hydrogel formulation comprises sodium alginate (SA) and chitosan (CHI) bearing complementary electrostatic charges and stabilizing the gels in saline and cell culture media, as compared to pristine SA gels. The highly controlled and interconnected porosity, characterized by X-ray microCT, yields mechanical properties comparable to those of brain tissues and allows F98 glioblastoma cells to penetrate the gels within the entire volume, as confirmed by fluorescence microscopy. The addition of a grafted -RGD peptide on SA, combined with CHI, significantly enhances the adhesion and retention of F98 cells within the gels. Overall, the best compromise between low proliferation and a high level of accumulation and retention of F98 cells was obtained with the hydrogel formulated with 1% SA and 0.2% CHI, without the -RGD adhesion peptide.