Investigating the role of polydopamine to modulate stem cell adhesion and proliferation on gellan gum-based hydrogels

Gellan gum-based hydrogels display limited cell adhesion ability due to the absence of cell-anchorage points usually present in proteins found in the extracellular matrix (ECM). This issue limits their use in the biomedical field as scaffolds to promote tissue repair. Our work addresses this challenge by investigating the use of polydopamine (pDA) as a bioactive layer to improve the surface and biological properties of gellan gum-based hydrogels cross-linked using carbodiimide chemistry. Upon treatment with a pDA layer, the hydrogel displayed an increase in wettability and swelling properties. This change in physical properties had a direct impact on the biological properties of the scaffolds. Precisely, human adipose-derived stem cells (hASCs) seeded on the pDA coated gellan gum hydrogels displayed larger cell area, increased proliferation rate, and enhanced gene expression of focal adhesion and cytoskeletal proteins. Overall, the findings of this research support the use of pDA coating as a possible approach to improve the biological features of gellan gum-based scaffolds and modulate stem cell morphology and proliferation.