Figure 1.

Preparation and characterization of human blood plasma (HBP)/alginate hydrogels with tunable stiffness. (A) CaCl₂ was used as an ionic crosslinker for both alginate and HBP, and NaCl was added to minimize the free radical effect on gel degradation. Tranexamic acid was added to inhibit HBP decomposition. (B) Fabricated PDMS cell culture mold was used for hydrogel preparations. (C) By varying the alginate concentration, the stiffness was tuned in a range from soft (1.4 kPa) to stiff (40 kPa). (D) The water content (%) of the hydrogels was determined in relation to stiffness. (E) Hydrogel structure was determined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images from the hydrogels with different stiffnesses.