Fig. 7.
The influences of hydrogel degradability on cell biology. a Schematic image of the interaction between entrapped cell and degradable/non-degradable hydrogels. The figure is made with biorender (https://biorender.com/). b–d Explorations on how hydrogel degradability promoted stem cell spreading and β1 integrin activation within 3D PEG-based hydrogels (b) and induced distinctive differentiation preference (c, d), e.g., osteogenesis and adipogenesis within the degradable and non-degradable hydrogel, respectively. **p < 0.01. Reproduced with permission.275 Copyright 2013, Elsevier. e, f Tests indicating how hydrogel degradability enhanced neural stem cells’ stemness (e) via permitting cell–cell contact and inducing Nestin and Sox2 expression (f). Reproduced with permission.17 Copyright 2017, Springer nature