Responsive Small Molecular Hydrogels Based on Adamantane–Peptides for Cell Culture

The development of responsive small molecular hydrogels that can be applied for recovery of cells postculture attract extensive interests for researchers in fields of cell biology, stem cell differentiation, and tissue engineering. We report in this study several responsive small molecular hydrogels based on adamantane–peptides whose gel to clear solution phase transition can be achieved by addition of β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) derivatives. The small molecular hydrogels are formed by our recently developed method of disulfide bond cleavage by glutathione (GSH). Mouse fibroblast 3T3 cells attach and grow well at the surface of hydrogels. Furthermore, 3T3 cells postculture can be recovered from the gels by the addition of a β-CD derivative due to formation of clear solutions by the adamantane−β-CD interaction. The culture on hydrogels and recovery process do not cause obvious effects on behaviors of 3T3 cells. The results shown in this study indicate that small molecular hydrogels based on adamantane–peptides have great potentials in research fields where further analysis of cells is needed.