Viability of HeLa Cells in the Presence of Chelated Carboxymethyl Cellulose Beads

Objective. Evaluate viability of HeLa cells (a cervical cancer cell line) in the presence of an aluminumcarboxymethyl cellulose (Al-CMC) complex. Background. Cell scaffolds and drug delivery platforms are being developed from gelled hydrocolloids such as CMC. Therefore, cell sensitivity to the components of such systems should be thoroughly investigated. Methods. Using a bead generator, a 1% aqueous solution of sodium CMC was extruded into 50mL of 5% w/v aluminum chloride hexahydrate, forming chelated Al-CMC beads of varying diameters. After 15 minutes, the beads were extracted and triple washed with distilled water. 30 × 104 of HeLa cells were suspended and fed in a growth medium containing DMEM, 10% fetal calf serum, and antibiotics. Cells were then plated in a flat bottom 24-well plate, and allowed to adhere for 4-5 hours. Cells were then exposed to 30 mg of beads and incubated at 37°C in 5% CO2 for 48 hours. Cell viability was assessed using MTT assay; absorbance measured at 570nm. Statistical analysis was performed using a one-way ANOVA. Results. In the presence of beads with diameter 0.05, 2.20, 2.72, or 3.5mm, cell viability was 81.0 ± 0.01, 77.6 ± 0.13, 64.9 ± 0.08, and 75.4 ± 0.29% (mean ± SD, n = 4) respectively. Conclusion. When compared to control, cell viability was overall decreased by approximately 25%. Cytotoxicity was size-independent over the size ranges studied. 57 Research is ongoing to evaluate if cytotoxicity is predominantly due to the polysaccharide, cation, or the joined complex. Grant # 335525