POS8-1321
Development and Characterization of Non-Cell Adhesive Acyl Glycol Chitosans for 3D Cell Culture
Topic
S8. Frontiers of Functional Polymers in Biology and Medicine
When and Where
Sep 30, 2026
08:30 - 09:30
Room 301 (Grand Ballroom)
Session Chairs
Heesuk KIM
Jinhye BAE
Presenter(s)
Hyein Kang (Chungnam national university)
Co-Author(s)
Abstract
Ultra-low attachment (ULA) culture systems are widely used for three-dimensional (3D) cell culture because they minimize cell-substrate adhesion and facilitate initial spheroid formation. However, adjacent spheroids frequently undergo uncontrolled inter-spheroid fusion during long-term culture due to the innate adhesive properties of cells. This fusion leads to size heterogeneity and restricts nutrient and oxygen diffusion into the spheroid core, potentially inducing necrosis. Herein, we report water-soluble acyl glycol chitosans (AGCs) as non-cell adhesive polymers that can be directly supplemented into the culture medium to suppress adhesive interactions between spheroids. The anti-fusion effects were evaluated based on the hydrophobic acyl substituent type and degree of substitution (DS). AGCs, including hexanoyl glycol chitosan (HGC) and octanoyl glycol chitosan (OGC), were synthesized by reacting glycol chitosan with hexanoic anhydride and octanoic anhydride, respectively. Their chemical structures were confirmed via 1H NMR and FT-IR analyses. As a result, spheroids cultured in the polymer-supplemented media exhibited improved cell viability compared to those in the control group. Furthermore, longer hydrophobic substituents and higher DS enhanced the ability to prevent spheroid fusion. These results demonstrate that media supplementation with AGCs can ensure the stable long-term culture of spheroids, highlighting their potential applications in organoid culture and in vitro 3D tissue models.
