Cell encapsulation seems to be a promising tool in tissue engineering. However, it has been shown to have several limitations in terms of long-term cell cultures due to an insufficient oxygen supply. In this study we propose the use of novel microcapsules designed for long-term cell culture consisting of an alginate shell and perfluorocarbon (PFC) core, which works as a synthetic oxygen carrier and reservoir. The influence of PFC presence in the culture as well as the size of structures on cell metabolism was evaluated during 21-day cultures in normoxia and hypoxia. We showed significant improvement in cell metabolism in groups where cells were encapsulated in hydrogel structures with a PFC core. The cells maintained a typical metabolism (oxidative phosphorylation) through all 21 days of the culture, overcoming the oxygen supply shortage even in large structures (diameter ¡ 1 mm). Applying PFC in alginate matrices can improve cell metabolism and adaptation in long-term cell cultures.

Developing an effective and safe cancer therapy could significantly reduce the number of deaths and improve the quality of life of treated patients. Nowadays medicine has developed a wide range of anticancer chemotherapeutics but at the same time there is a lack of effective drug delivery methods. Therefore, the development of the targeted drug delivery system which will selectively release drug into the cancer cells is a key challenge of modern medicine.
The main aim of the presented research was to investigate the targeting effect of a drug delivery system based on the controlled release of dextran nanoparticles containing the anticancer drug – doxorubicin from the alginate microspheres coated with chitosan multilayers.
During the research the physicochemical properties of the alginate microspheres and its stability in the physiological environment were investigated. Moreover, the kinetics of the nanoparticles with doxorubicin release from the alginate microspheres covered with chitosan multilayers was characterized, depending on the thickness of the chitosan layer. Further, the cytotoxicity study of the alginate microspheres covered with chitosan multilayer and containing nanoparticles was performed to determine the therapeutic effect of the released nanoparticles with doxorubicin on the HeLa cells during the in vitro cell culture.