A Novel Cheap and Easy to Handle Protein Hydrogel for 3D Cell Culture Applications: A High Stability Matrix with Tunable Elasticity and Cell Adhesion Properties

Modern hydrogels have a high potential for cell culture applications due to their ability to form 3D architectures resembling the natural environment of the cell. A new cheap, robust and cell compatible hydrogel consisting of chemically crosslinked human serum albumin is presented. The protein gels polymerize within minutes, have high pH and temperature stabilities and combine biocompatibility and biodegradability. Pore size and elasticity were investigated by atomic force microscopy and revealed an adjustable elasticity. Pore sizes were investigated using cryo-scanning electron microscopy. To evaluate biocompatibility, hydrogels were incubated with human breast cancer cells and adenocarcinomic human alveolar basal epithelial cells under 2D and 3D conditions and both cell lines showed high survival rates. All results indicate the versatility of the new material to be used as a simple, robust system with high mechanical and chemical stability and a broad range of possible applications.