Fig. 4. Viscoelastic hydrogels modulate the neuronal maturation of hNPCs.

(A) Schematic of neural differentiation with color-coded cell fates. (B) Canonical gene markers frequently used to identify the cell fates depicted in the schematic to the left. (C to J) mRNA expression of canonical neural differentiation markers for hNPCs encapsulated at 3 × 10⁴ cells/μl in all three gel formulations over 7 days in culture (N = 4 replicate hydrogels). Statistical analyses performed as two-way ANOVA with Šídák’s multiple comparisons test. Data plotted as mean ± SD where *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001, and ****P < 0.0001. GAPDH, glyceraldehyde phosphate dehydrogenase.