In vitro cyto-biocompatibility and cell detachment of temperature-sensitive dextran hydrogel

A series of poly(NIPAAm-co-GMA-Dex) hydrogels were synthesized from glycidyl methacrylate-derivatized dextran (GMA-Dex) and N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAm) in aqueous solution. The swelling properties, cell culture and detachment behaviors of these hydrogels were investigated. It has found that poly(NIPAAm-co-GMA-Dex) hydrogels are not only sensitive to temperature in deionized water and Dulbecco's modified eagle medium (DMEM) (10% FBS), but also exhibit good biocompatibility. In addition, L929 cells were found to detach from the hydrogel surface naturally without affecting the function of L929 by controlling environmental temperature.