Glycerylphytate-crosslinked microgels as MSC-delivery platform improves cell survival and function

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) exhibit multiple beneficial properties, most notably potentimmunomodulation via their secretory factors that render them as an attractive cell source for cell therapy. However, theirclinical application remains limited due to their low survival and persistence in vivo, highlighting the need for new cell-carriers1. Chitosan is a widely applied biomaterial, but its poor solubility has constrained its use as a cell carrier2. Weexamined the fabrication of chitosan-based MSCs-microcarriers using a water-soluble chitosan lactate (ChLA) derivativeand in situ crosslinking in a microfluidic device using tripolyphosphate (TPP) and glycerylphytate (G1Phy) as ioniccrosslinkers. G1Phy is a powerful antioxidant,3 whose crosslinking ability has been evinced4. Our microgel synthesisallows for cell encapsulation, and G1Phy provided beneficial features to microgels in terms of MSCs survival, persistenceand secretome modulation.