Introduction: Alginate scaffolds are widely used in tissue engineering. The aim of this study was to evaluate alginate as a scaffold for 3D cultures of rapidly proliferating cells.
Materials and methods: Murine 3T3 fibroblasts were cultured in an alginate scaffold for 30 days. Cells growing in alginate were observed under the inverted microscope. Pathologic examination by hematoxylin and eosin staining was done at the end of the experiment.
Results: Migration of rapidly proliferating cells from the 3D scaffold and an inappropriate growth pattern were observed during the experiment. Cells and scaffold did not form a solid graft.
Conclusions: The results obtained in this study indicated that alginate is not a good biomaterial for a durable implant.