The effects of molecular weight on viability within PEGDA hydrogel microspheres

Poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA) is a polymer often used in tissue engineering as a hydrogel scaffold. We determined the cell viability of murine osteoblast cells microencapsulated in PEGDA hydrogels of various molecular weights. Microspheres ranged between 20-200 μm in radius, to avoid exceeding the diffusion limit of oxygen. Concurrent diffusion studies were performed for each molecular weight to assess the size of the molecules permitted access by the hydrogels. Results demonstrated higher cell viability in higher molecular weight PEGDA microspheres.