Compositions, devices and methods for the control in vitro of chemical microambient in cell cultures

An in vitro method to control the chemical microenvironment of a cell culture and/or mimic the physiological or pathological conditions of the cells in vivo, comprising

• depositing, in a container for a cell culture, a
• grid or strip(s) of a composition in the form of a hydrogel comprising a matrix that contains one or more enzymes capable of catalyzing the reduction of oxygen, so that an oxygen gradient is generated under cell cultivation from the region of the container where said hydrogel is deposited to the region of the container where said hydrogel is not deposited;
• wherein said enzymes are covalently bound to said matrix by a cross-linking agent (cross-linker) or are trapped in a polymeric matrix through mechanical and/or electrostatic interactions and wherein said container is a culture plate;
• cultivating a cell line or primary cells in said container.