Fig. 5: The impact of oxygenation on INS-1 cell aggregates encapsulated in the BEAM system under a hypoxic cell culture condition.

A A schematic representation of the experimental setup. B Operating electrical current and voltage of iEOG recorded during a 24-h experiment. C Bright-field microscopic images of INS-1 cell aggregates in BEAM systems following a 24-h incubation period under a hypoxic culture condition (1% oxygen), with and without supplemental oxygenation provided by iEOG. D Dual fluorescence staining of INS-1 cell aggregates within BEAM systems following 24-h incubation in 1% oxygen, with and without additional oxygen supply from iEOG. Green: Acridine Orange, Live cells; Red: Ethidium homodimer, Dead cells. E H&E staining of INS-1 cell aggregates before encapsulation and those loaded in BEAM systems subjected to a hypoxic culture condition (1% oxygen) for 24 h, with or without oxygen supplementation from iEOG. Green dashed line represents the interface with the silicone tubing while the red dash line indicates the interface with the fibrous membrane. F Immunofluorescence staining of INS-1 cell aggregates in BEAM systems following 24-h incubation in 1% oxygen, with and without additional oxygen supply from iEOG. Green: Insulin; Blue: Nuclear staining. The experiment in Fig. (C–F) was repeated independently more than six times with similar results. Figure (A) was created in BioRender. Pham, T. (2025) https://BioRender.com/o34farp.