were seeded at the same initial density in the wells, with or without
hydrogel, on day 0. The cell viability was examined on days 3, 7, 12
and 30, respectively, and the results were depicted in Fig. 5. There
was no significant difference between the results from cells exposed
to hydrogels and the control (p< 0.05) after less than 1 week
of incubation, suggesting the hydrogels did not affect cell growth;