Preclustering Gelatin for Faster-Forming Injectable Hydrogels: A Strategy for Fabricating 3D Hydrogel Scaffolds with Improved Cell Dispersion

Gelatin-based injectable hydrogels capable of encapsulating cells are pivotal in tissue engineering because they can conform to any geometry and exhibit physical properties similar to those of living tissues. However, the slow gelation process observed in these cell-encapsulating hydrogels often causes an uneven dispersion of cells. This study proposes an approach for achieving fast gelation of unmodified gelatin under physiological conditions through gelatin preclustering. By using tetrafunctional succinimidyl-terminated poly(ethylene glycol) as a clustering agent, the gelation process is successfully expedited fivefold without requiring chemical modifications, effectively addressing the associated challenges of uneven cell distribution. This study proposes a method to obtain gelatin-based hydrogel scaffolds for cells in a shorter time by preclustering gelatin using tetrafunctional succinimidyl-terminated poly(ethylene glycol) as a clustering agent. This method accelerates the gelation process fivefold under physiological conditions and yields hydrogels with cells homogeneously distributed in a 3D manner. image