Chemical Modification of Macroporous Gelatin Microcarriers and Characterization of Cell Growth and Attachment

Chemical modification of gelatin-based macroporous microcanier beads was achieved by increasing the charge density through incorporation of (diethylamino)ethylchloride-hydrochloride (DEAE:CI-HCI) or lysine, and this significantly improved the attachment and growth of HepG2 cells. When microcarriers were modified by the addition of 2% lysine, positive charge density was 0.95 meq/g-caniers. In case of modification of microcarriers with DEAE:CI-HCI, positive charge density was 0.6 meq/g-caniers. An increase in charge density of the microcaniers to improve cell attachment has facilitated the growth of the cells on macroporous gelatin microcaniers. Also, final HepG2 cell concentration cultivated on modified beads with DEAE:CI-HCI was increased up to $10^7$ cells/ml. This was 2-3 times higher than that obtained with unmodified macroporous gelatin microcarriers.