Figure 6. Evaluation of internalization of 1301 cells 24 hours of treatment by different concentrations of hydrogels (n=4).
To identify a possible pathway for hydrogel endocytosis into T-lymphocytes, 1301 cells were treated with 0.18 mg/ml VGCB8ALG together with inhibitors of various endocytosis pathways (Figure 7). As expected, exposure to hydrogels at four °C resulted in potent inhibition of endocytosis. The results showed a significant difference in uptake when inhibited with nystatin, thus suggesting caveolae-mediated endocytosis was preferred for VGCB8ALG.