Description
The 3-D Life Dextran-CD Hydrogel FG Kit provides reagents for setting up fast gelling, cell-compatible 3-D Life Hydrogels.
Its major components are maleimide-functionalized dextran (Mal-Dextran) and the crosslinker CD-Link. When the two reagents are combined, thiol groups on CD-Link form stable thioether bonds with maleimide groups on the Mal-Dextran, which results in the formation of the gel.
CD-Link is composed of polyethylene glycol and a matrix metalloprotease (MMP)-cleavable peptide (Pro-Leu-Gly-Leu-Trp-Ala). The MMP-cleavable peptide is designed for a broad range of MMP cleavage including MMPs MMP1, MMP3, MMP7 and MMP9. It allows cells to spread and migrate within the hydrogel if they express the indicated MMPs. In most cases cell spreading and migration also requires the presence of adhesion peptides.
Prior to the crosslinking step, cell adhesion peptides (e.g. 3-D Life RGD Peptide, Cat. No. 09-P-001) can be covalently attached to a portion of the maleimide groups of Mal-Dextran to provide a cell-adhesive matrix.
Dextran hydrogels crosslinked with CD-Link can be dissolved by the addition of dextranase (3-D Life Dextranase, Cat. No. D10-1), which allows the recovery of chemically fixed or live cells for post-culture analyses (e.g. RT-PCR) or for further cultivation.
For instructions, please consult the General Protocol GP-1 "Preparation of 3-D Life Fast Gelling Hydrogels" and the 3-D Life Hydrogels User Guide, which may be downloaded below.
Application
3D cell cultures
Quantity
Allows formation of up to 2 ml 3-D Life Hydrogel depending on the grade of stiffness of the gel.
Components
| Material | Quantity | Concentration of reactive groups | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mal-Dextran, lyophilized |
170 µl | 30 mmol/L | MSDS |
| CD-Link, lyophilized | 200 µl* | 20 mmol/L* | MSDS |
| 10x CB Buffer (pH 5.5) | 200 µl | n.a. | MSDS |
| Water | 2 x 1500 µl | n.a. | MSDS |
| *Volume/concentration after reconstitution of lyophilizate. | |||
Resources
- Product Datasheet (PDS): 3-D Life Dextran-CD Hydrogel FG Kit
- Protocol: Preparation of 3-D Life Fast (FG) Gelling Hydrogels
- Protocol: Degradation of dextran-based hydrogels with dextranase
- 3-D Life Hydrogel User Guide
- 3-D Life Biomimetic Hydrogels Page
- 3-D Life Hydrogels User Applications
- 3-D Life Hydrogels Product References
Application notes
- Application Protocol: Co-Culture of Tumor and Stroma Cells in 3-D Life Hydrogels
- Application Note: Co-culture of tumor and stroma cells in 3-D Life Hydrogels
Product References
- Guenther, Carla. “Stiffness regulates dendritic cell and macrophage subtype development and increased stiffness induces a tumor-associated macrophage phenotype in cancer co-cultures.” Frontiers in immunology vol. 15 1434030. 15 Aug. 2024, doi:10.3389/fimmu.2024.1434030
- Wang, Zheng et al. “Characterization and Analysis of Collective Cellular Behaviors in 3D Dextran Hydrogels with Homogenous and Clustered RGD Compositions.” Materials (Basel, Switzerland) vol. 12,20 3391. 17 Oct. 2019, doi:10.3390/ma12203391
Ilex Life Sciences LLC is an authorized distributor of Cellendes GmbH.