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Feng W, Wang Z. Tailoring the Swelling-Shrinkable Behavior of Hydrogels for Biomedical Applications. ADVANCED SCIENCE (WEINHEIM, BADEN-WURTTEMBERG, GERMANY) 2023; 10:e2303326. [PMID: 37544909 PMCID: PMC10558674 DOI: 10.1002/advs.202303326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2023] [Revised: 07/15/2023] [Indexed: 08/08/2023]
Abstract
Hydrogels with tailor-made swelling-shrinkable properties have aroused considerable interest in numerous biomedical domains. For example, as swelling is a key issue for blood and wound extrudates absorption, the transference of nutrients and metabolites, as well as drug diffusion and release, hydrogels with high swelling capacity have been widely applicated in full-thickness skin wound healing and tissue regeneration, and drug delivery. Nevertheless, in the fields of tissue adhesives and internal soft-tissue wound healing, and bioelectronics, non-swelling hydrogels play very important functions owing to their stable macroscopic dimension and physical performance in physiological environment. Moreover, the negative swelling behavior (i.e., shrinkage) of hydrogels can be exploited to drive noninvasive wound closure, and achieve resolution enhancement of hydrogel scaffolds. In addition, it can help push out the entrapped drugs, thus promote drug release. However, there still has not been a general review of the constructions and biomedical applications of hydrogels from the viewpoint of swelling-shrinkable properties. Therefore, this review summarizes the tactics employed so far in tailoring the swelling-shrinkable properties of hydrogels and their biomedical applications. And a relatively comprehensive understanding of the current progress and future challenge of the hydrogels with different swelling-shrinkable features is provided for potential clinical translations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenjun Feng
- MOE Key Laboratory of Macromolecular Synthesis and FunctionalizationDepartment of Polymer Science and EngineeringZhejiang UniversityHangzhou310058China
| | - Zhengke Wang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Macromolecular Synthesis and FunctionalizationDepartment of Polymer Science and EngineeringZhejiang UniversityHangzhou310058China
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Nguyen DHT, Utama RH, Tjandra KC, Suwannakot P, Du EY, Kavallaris M, Tilley RD, Gooding JJ. Tuning the Mechanical Properties of Multiarm RAFT-Based Block Copolyelectrolyte Hydrogels via Ionic Cross-Linking for 3D Cell Cultures. Biomacromolecules 2023; 24:57-68. [PMID: 36514252 DOI: 10.1021/acs.biomac.2c00632] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Hydrogels that serve as native extracellular matrix (ECM) mimics are typically naturally derived hydrogels that are physically cross-linked via ionic interactions. This means rapid gelation of synthetic polymers, which give control over the chemical and physical cues in hydrogel formation. Herein, we combine the best of both systems by developing a synthetic hydrogel with ionic cross-linking of block copolyelectrolytes to rapidly create hydrogels. Reversible addition-fragmentation chain-transfer (RAFT) polymerization was used to synthesize oppositely charged polyelectrolyte molecules and, in turn, modulate the mechanical property of stiffness. The mechanical stiffness of a range of 900-3500 Pa was tuned by varying the number of charged ionic groups, the length of the polymer arms, and the polymer concentration. We demonstrate the synthetic polyelectrolyte hydrogel as an ECM mimic for three-dimensional (3D) in vitro cell models using MCF-7 breast cancer cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- Duyen H T Nguyen
- School of Chemistry, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW2052, Australia.,Australian Centre for NanoMedicine, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW2052, Australia
| | - Robert H Utama
- School of Chemistry, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW2052, Australia.,Australian Centre for NanoMedicine, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW2052, Australia
| | - Kristel C Tjandra
- School of Chemistry, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW2052, Australia.,Australian Centre for NanoMedicine, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW2052, Australia
| | - Panthipa Suwannakot
- School of Chemistry, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW2052, Australia.,Australian Centre for NanoMedicine, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW2052, Australia
| | - Eric Y Du
- School of Chemistry, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW2052, Australia.,Australian Centre for NanoMedicine, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW2052, Australia
| | - Maria Kavallaris
- Australian Centre for NanoMedicine, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW2052, Australia.,Children's Cancer Institute, Lowy Cancer Research Centre, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW2052, Australia
| | - Richard D Tilley
- School of Chemistry, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW2052, Australia.,Australian Centre for NanoMedicine, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW2052, Australia.,Electron Microscopy Unit, Mark Wainwright Analytical Centre, The University of New South Wales, SydneyNSW2052, Australia
| | - J Justin Gooding
- School of Chemistry, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW2052, Australia.,Australian Centre for NanoMedicine, The University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW2052, Australia
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Nakagawa S, Yoshie N. Linking microscopic structural changes and macroscopic mechanical responses in a near-ideal bottlebrush elastomer under uniaxial deformation. SOFT MATTER 2022; 18:4527-4535. [PMID: 35670222 DOI: 10.1039/d2sm00492e] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Bottlebrush (BB) elastomers, in which load-bearing network strands are densely grafted with side chains, are gaining much attention due to their unique mechanical properties. Herein, we used in situ small-angle X-ray scattering coupled with tensile tests to investigate the microscopic structural changes induced in a model BB elastomer with a controlled network structure under uniaxial deformation. The model BB elastomer was synthesized by end-linking a monodisperse star-shaped BB polymer, which ensured a controlled network structure. The BB elastomer exhibited both significant strain stiffening and backbone chain alignment under uniaxial loading, and these properties were not observed in an analogous side chain-free elastomer and gel. It was also found that the side chains in the BB elastomer did not show any sign of chain orientation even when the attached backbone chain was aligned in the stretching direction. These observations highlighted the roles of side chains: they were structurally disordered at the segment level but their steric repulsion made the backbone chain aligned and overstretched.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shintaro Nakagawa
- Institute of Industrial Science, the University of Tokyo, Komaba 4-6-1, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-8505, Japan.
| | - Naoko Yoshie
- Institute of Industrial Science, the University of Tokyo, Komaba 4-6-1, Meguro-ku, Tokyo 153-8505, Japan.
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Onoda M, Jia F, Takeoka Y, Macfarlane RJ. Controlling the dynamics of elastomer networks with multivalent brush architectures. SOFT MATTER 2022; 18:3644-3648. [PMID: 35527518 DOI: 10.1039/d2sm00328g] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Herein, we report a design strategy for developing mechanically enhanced and dynamic polymer networks by incorporating a polymer with multivalent brush architecture. Different ratios of two types of imidazole functionalized polymers, specifically poly(n-butyl acrylate) (PnBA) and poly(poly(n-butyl acrylate)) (PPnBA) were blended with Zn(II) ions, thereby forming a series of elastomers with consistent composition but varying network topologies. As the weight fraction of PPnBA increased, the melting temperature, plateau modulus, and relaxation time of the melt increased because of the increase in the crosslinking density and coordination efficiency. Remarkably, however, the activation energy of the flow, Ea, decreased with increasing amounts of PPnBA despite the observed increases in mechanical properties. This unique behavior is attributed to the multivalent nature of the brush polymer, which allows the PPnBA to generate a higher crosslinking density than networks of linear PnBA, even though the brush polymers contain a lower weight fraction of the imidazole crosslinks. This method of lowering Ea, while improving the mechanical properties of the elastomers has great potential in the development of various soft materials such as self-healing or 3D-printable elastomeric structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michika Onoda
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.
- Department of Molecular Design and Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, 464-8603, Japan
| | - Fei Jia
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.
| | - Yukikazu Takeoka
- Department of Molecular Design and Engineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Nagoya University, Furo-cho, Chikusa-ku, Nagoya, 464-8603, Japan
| | - Robert J Macfarlane
- Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, USA.
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Jia F, Chen P, Wang D, Sun Y, Ren M, Wang Y, Cao X, Zhang L, Fang Y, Tan X, Lu H, Cai J, Lu X, Zhang K. Bottlebrush Polymer-Conjugated Melittin Exhibits Enhanced Antitumor Activity and Better Safety Profile. ACS APPLIED MATERIALS & INTERFACES 2021; 13:42533-42542. [PMID: 34472829 PMCID: PMC8784393 DOI: 10.1021/acsami.1c14285] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
Despite potency against a variety of cancers in preclinical systems, melittin (MEL), a major peptide in bee venom, exhibits non-specific toxicity, severe hemolytic activity, and poor pharmacological properties. Therefore, its advancement in the clinical translation system has been limited to early-stage trials. Herein, we report a biohybrid involving a bottlebrush-architectured poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) and MEL. Termed pacMEL, the conjugate consists of a high-density PEG arrangement, which provides MEL with steric inhibition against protein access, while the high molecular weight of pacMEL substantially enhances plasma pharmacokinetics with a ∼10-fold increase in the area under the curve (AUC∞) compared to free MEL. pacMEL also significantly reduces hepatic damage and unwanted innate immune response and all but eliminated hemolytic activities of MEL. Importantly, pacMEL passively accumulates at subcutaneously inoculated tumor sites and exhibits stronger tumor-suppressive activity than molecular MEL. Collectively, pacMEL makes MEL a safer and more appealing drug candidate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fei Jia
- Departments of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Chemical Engineering, and Bioengineering, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Peiru Chen
- Departments of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Chemical Engineering, and Bioengineering, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Dali Wang
- Departments of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Chemical Engineering, and Bioengineering, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Yehui Sun
- Departments of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Chemical Engineering, and Bioengineering, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Mengqi Ren
- Departments of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Chemical Engineering, and Bioengineering, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Yuyan Wang
- Departments of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Chemical Engineering, and Bioengineering, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Xueyan Cao
- Departments of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Chemical Engineering, and Bioengineering, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Lei Zhang
- Departments of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Chemical Engineering, and Bioengineering, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Yang Fang
- Departments of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Chemical Engineering, and Bioengineering, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Xuyu Tan
- Departments of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Chemical Engineering, and Bioengineering, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Hao Lu
- Departments of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Chemical Engineering, and Bioengineering, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Jiansong Cai
- Departments of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Chemical Engineering, and Bioengineering, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
| | - Xueguang Lu
- David H. Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Ke Zhang
- Departments of Chemistry and Chemical Biology, Chemical Engineering, and Bioengineering, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, United States
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