Rapidly in situ forming adhesive hydrogel based on a PEG-maleimide modified polypeptide through Michael addition

Advances and challenges in regenerative therapies for abdominal aortic aneurysm

Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a significant source of mortality worldwide and carries a mortality of greater than 80% after rupture. Despite extensive efforts to develop pharmacological treatments, there is currently no effective agent to prevent aneurysm growth and rupture. Current treatment paradigms only rely on the identification and surveillance of small aneurysms, prior to ultimate open surgical or endovascular repair. Recently, regenerative therapies have emerged as promising avenues to address the degenerative changes observed in AAA. This review briefly outlines current clinical management principles, characteristics, and pharmaceutical targets of AAA. Subsequently, a thorough discussion of regenerative approaches is provided. These include cellular approaches (vascular smooth muscle cells, endothelial cells, and mesenchymal stem cells) as well as the delivery of therapeutic molecules, gene therapies, and regenerative biomaterials. Lastly, additional barriers and considerations for clinical translation are provided. In conclusion, regenerative approaches hold significant promise for in situ reversal of tissue damages in AAA, necessitating sustained research and innovation to achieve successful and translatable therapies in a new era in AAA management.

Moldable Tissue-Sealant Hydrogels Composed of In Situ Cross-Linkable Polyethylene Glycol via Thiol-Michael Addition and Carbomers

Moldable tissue-sealant hydrogels were developed herein by combining the yield stress fluidity of a Carbomer and in situ cross-linking of 3-arm PEG-thiol (PEG-SH) and 4-arm PEG-acrylate (PEG-AC). The Carbomer was mixed with each PEG oligomer to form two aqueous precursors: Carbomer/PEG-SH and Carbomer/PEG-AC. The two hydrogel precursors exhibited sufficient yield stress (>100 Pa) to prevent dripping from their placement on the tissue surface. Moreover, these hydrogel precursors exhibited rapid restructuring when the shear strain was repeatedly changed. These rheological properties contribute to the moldability of these hydrogel precursors. After mixing these two precursors, they were converted from yield-stress fluids to chemically cross-linked hydrogels, Carbomer/PEG hydrogel, via thiol-Michael addition. The gelation time was 5.0 and 11.2 min at 37 and 25 °C, respectively. In addition, the Carbomer/PEG hydrogels exhibited higher cellular viability than the pure Carbomer. They also showed stable adhesiveness and burst pressure resistance to various tissues, such as the skin, stomach, colon, and cecum of pigs. The hydrogels showed excellent tissue sealing in a cecum ligation and puncture model in mice and improved the survival rate due to their tissue adhesiveness and biocompatibility. The Carbomer/PEG hydrogel is a potential biocompatible tissue sealant that surgeons can mold. It was revealed that the combination of in situ cross-linkable PEG oligomers and yield stress fluid such as Carbomer is effective for developing the moldable tissue sealant without dripping of its hydrogel precursors.

In Situ Cross-Linkable Hyaluronic-Ferulic Acid Conjugate Containing Bucladesine Nanoparticles Promotes Neural Regeneration after Spinal Cord Injury

Dysfunctional clinical outcomes following spinal cord injury (SCI) result from glial scar formation, leading to the inhibition of new axon growth and impaired regeneration. Nevertheless, nerve regeneration after SCI is possible, provided that the state of neuron development in the injured environment is improved. Hence, biomaterial-based therapy would be a promising strategy to endow a desirable environment for tissue repair. Herein, we designed a novel multifunctional injectable hydrogel with antioxidant, neuroprotective, and neuroregenerative effects. Bucladesine-encapsulated chitosan nanoparticles (BCS NPs) were first prepared and embedded in a matrix of thiol-functionalized hyaluronic acid modified with ferulic acid (HASH-FA). The target hydrogel (HSP-F/BCS) was then created through Michael-type addition between HASH-FA containing BCS NPs and four-arm polyethylene glycol-maleimide (4-Arm-PEG-Mal). The obtained hydrogel with shear thinning behavior showed viscoelastic and mechanical properties similar to the normal nerve tissue. FA conjugation significantly improved the antioxidant activity of HA, and suppressed intracellular ROS formation. In situ injection of the HSP-F/BCS hydrogel in a rat contusion model of SCI inhibited glial scar progression, reduced microglia/macrophage infiltration, promoted angiogenesis, and induced myelinated axon regeneration. As a result, a significant improvement in motor performance was observed compared to other experimental groups. Taken together, the HSP-F/BCS hydrogel developed in this study could be a promising system for SCI repair.

Are Natural Compounds a Promising Alternative to Synthetic Cross-Linking Agents in the Preparation of Hydrogels?

The main aim of this review is to assess the potential use of natural cross-linking agents, such as genipin, citric acid, tannic acid, epigallocatechin gallate, and vanillin in preparing chemically cross-linked hydrogels for the biomedical, pharmaceutical, and cosmetic industries. Chemical cross-linking is one of the most important methods that is commonly used to form mechanically strong hydrogels based on biopolymers, such as alginates, chitosan, hyaluronic acid, collagen, gelatin, and fibroin. Moreover, the properties of natural cross-linking agents and their advantages and disadvantages are compared relative to their commonly known synthetic cross-linking counterparts. Nowadays, advanced technologies can facilitate the acquisition of high-purity biomaterials from unreacted components with no additional purification steps. However, while planning and designing a chemical process, energy and water consumption should be limited in order to reduce the risks associated with global warming. However, many synthetic cross-linking agents, such as N,N'-methylenebisacrylamide, ethylene glycol dimethacrylate, poly (ethylene glycol) diacrylates, epichlorohydrin, and glutaraldehyde, are harmful to both humans and the environment. One solution to this problem could be the use of bio-cross-linking agents obtained from natural resources, which would eliminate their toxic effects and ensure the safety for humans and the environment.

Mesenchymal Stromal Cell-Derived Extracellular Vesicles in Wound Healing

The well-orchestrated process of wound healing may be negatively impacted from interrupted or incomplete tissue regenerative processes. The healing potential is further compromised in patients with diabetes mellitus, chronic venous insufficiency, critical limb ischemia, and immunocompromised conditions, with a high health care burden and expenditure. Stem cell-based therapy has shown promising results in clinical studies. Mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes (MSC Exos) may favorably impact intercellular signaling and immunomodulation, promoting neoangiogenesis, collagen synthesis, and neoepithelization. This article gives an outline of the biogenesis and mechanism of extracellular vesicles (EVs), particularly exosomes, in the process of tissue regeneration and discusses the use of preconditioned exosomes, platelet-rich plasma-derived exosomes, and engineered exosomes in three-dimensional bioscaffolds such as hydrogels (collagen and chitosan) to prolong the contact time of exosomes at the recipient site within the target tissue. An appropriate antibiotic therapy based on culture-specific guidance coupled with the knowledge of biopolymers helps to fabricate nanotherapeutic materials loaded with MSC Exos to effectively deliver drugs locally and promote novel approaches for the management of chronic wounds.

The role of adipose-derived stem cells-derived extracellular vesicles in the treatment of diabetic foot ulcer: Trends and prospects

Diabetic foot ulcer(DFU) is one of the most severe chronic complications of type 2 diabetes mellitus, which is mainly caused by peripheral vascular occlusion with various degrees of infection. Treatment of DFU is difficult, and ulcer formation in lower limbs and deep-tissue necrosis might lead to disability or even death. Insulin resistance is the major mechanism of type 2 diabetes mellitus development, largely caused by adipose tissue dysfunction. However, adipose tissue was recently identified as an important endocrine organ that secretes bio-active factors, such as adipokines and extracellular vesicles(EVs). And adipose tissue-derived stem cells(ADSCs) are abundant in adipose tissue and have become a hot topic in the tissue engineering field. In particular, EVs derived from ADSCs contain abundant biomarkers and mediators. These EVs exert significant effects on distant cells and organs, contributing to metabolic homeostasis. In this review, we aim to elaborate on the mechanisms of diabetic non-healing wound development and the role of ADSCs-EVs in wound repair, which might provide a new therapy for treating DFU.

Tunable and high tissue adhesive properties of injectable chitosan based hydrogels through polymer architecture modulation

Chitosan-based hydrogels have been widely used for various biomedical applications due to their versatile properties such as biocompatibility, biodegradability, muco-adhesiveness, hemostatic effect and so on. However, the inherent rigidity and brittleness of pure chitosan hydrogels are still unmanageable, which has limited their potential use in biomaterial research. In this study, we developed in situ forming chitosan/PEG hydrogels with improved mechanical properties, using the enzymatic crosslinking reaction of horseradish peroxidase (HRP). The effect of PEG on physico-chemical properties of hybrid hydrogels was thoroughly elucidated by varying the content (0-100 %), molecular weight (4, 10 and 20 kDa) and geometry (linear, 4-arm) of the PEG derivatives. The resulting hydrogels demonstrated excellent hemostatic ability and are highly biocompatible in vivo, comparable to commercially available fibrin glue. We suggest these chitosan/PEG hybrid hydrogels with tunable physicochemical and tissue adhesive properties have great potential for a wide range of biomedical applications in the near future.

Exosome loaded genipin crosslinked hydrogel facilitates full thickness cutaneous wound healing in rat animal model

Full thickness cutaneous wound therapy and regeneration remains a critical challenge in clinical therapeutics. Recent reports have suggested that mesenchymal stem cells exosomes therapy is a promising technology with great potential to efficiently promote tissue regeneration. Multifunctional hydrogel composed of both synthetic materials and natural materials is an effective carrier for exosomes loading. Herein, we constructed a biodegradable, dual-sensitive hydrogel encapsulated human umbilical cord-mesenchymal stem cells (hUCMSCs) derived exosomes to facilitate wound healing and skin regeneration process. The materials characterization, exosomes identification, and in vivo full-thickness cutaneous wound healing effect of the hydrogels were performed and evaluated. The in vivo results demonstrated the exosomes loaded hydrogel had significantly improved wound closure, re-epithelialization rates, collagen deposition in the wound sites. More skin appendages were observed in exosomes loaded hydrogel treated wound, indicating the potential to achieve complete skin regeneration. This study provides a new access for complete cutaneous wound regeneration via a genipin crosslinked dual-sensitive hydrogel loading hUCMSCs derived exosomes.

An injectable double cross-linked hydrogel adhesive inspired by synergistic effects of mussel foot proteins for biomedical application

Hydrogel adhesives with high tissue adhesion, biodegradability and biocompatibility are benefit for promoting surgical procedures and minimizing the pain and post-surgical complications of patients. In this paper, an injectable mussel inspired double cross-linked hydrogel adhesive composed of thiolated mussel inspired chitosan (CSDS) and tetra-succinimidyl carbonate polyethylene glycol (PEG-4S) was designed and developed. CSDS was synthesized with thiol and catechol groups inspired by the synergistic effect of mussel foot proteins (mfps). The double cross-linked hydrogel was first formed by the addition of sodium periodate (or Fe³⁺) and then double cross-linked with PEG-4S. The results showed that the mechanical and adhesion properties of the double cross-linked hydrogels were significantly improved by the synergistic effects of the functional groups. And the prepared hydrogels showed good cytocompatibility which evaluated by determining the viability of L929 cells and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Additionally, the biodegradability and biocompatibility in vivo were further confirmed by subcutaneous implantation in mice model, and the histological analysis results identified that the prepared hydrogels were in vivo biocompatible. This work presents an injectable mussel inspired double cross-linked hydrogels that can use as a potential hydrogel adhesive for biomedical application.

Thiolated Chitosans: A Multi-talented Class of Polymers for Various Applications

Various properties of chitosan can be customized by thiolation for very specific needs in a wide range of application areas. Since the discovery of thiolated chitosans, many studies have proven their advantageous characteristics, such as adhesion to biological surfaces, adjustable cross-linking and swelling behavior, controllable drug release, permeation as well as cellular uptake enhancement, inhibition of efflux pumps and enzymes, complexation of metal ions, antioxidative properties, and radical scavenging activity. Simultaneously, these polymers remain biodegradable without increased toxicity. Within this Review, an overview about the different possibilities to covalently attach sulfhydryl ligands to the polymeric backbone of chitosan is given, and the resulting versatile physiochemical properties are discussed in detail. Furthermore, the broad spectrum of applications for thiolated chitosans in science and industry, ranging from their most advanced use in pharmaceutical and medical science over wastewater treatment to the impregnation of textiles, is addressed.

Free and hydrogel encapsulated exosome-based therapies in regenerative medicine

Over the last few decades, mesenchymal stem cells-derived exosomes (MSCs-Ex) have attracted a lot of attention as a therapeutic tool in regenerative medicine. Exosomes are extracellular vehicles (EVs) that play important roles in cell-cell communication through various processes such as stress response, senescence, angiogenesis, and cell differentiation. Success in the field of regenerative medicine sparked exploration of the potential use of exosomes as key therapeutic effectors of MSCs to promote tissue regeneration. Various approaches including direct injection, intravenous injection, intraperitoneal injection, oral administration, and hydrogel-based encapsulation have been exploited to deliver exosomes to target tissues in different disease models. Despite significant advances in exosome therapy, it is unclear which approach is more effective for administering exosomes. Herein, we critically review the emerging progress in the applications of exosomes in the form of free or association with hydrogels as therapeutic agents for applications in regenerative medicine.

Catechol-functionalized hydrogels: biomimetic design, adhesion mechanism, and biomedical applications

Hydrogels are a unique class of polymeric materials that possess an interconnected porous network across various length scales from nano- to macroscopic dimensions and exhibit remarkable structure-derived properties, including high surface area, an accommodating matrix, inherent flexibility, controllable mechanical strength, and excellent biocompatibility. Strong and robust adhesion between hydrogels and substrates is highly desirable for their integration into and subsequent performance in biomedical devices and systems. However, the adhesive behavior of hydrogels is severely weakened by the large amount of water that interacts with the adhesive groups reducing the interfacial interactions. The challenges of developing tough hydrogel-solid interfaces and robust bonding in wet conditions are analogous to the adhesion problems solved by marine organisms. Inspired by mussel adhesion, a variety of catechol-functionalized adhesive hydrogels have been developed, opening a door for the design of multi-functional platforms. This review is structured to give a comprehensive overview of adhesive hydrogels starting with the fundamental challenges of underwater adhesion, followed by synthetic approaches and fabrication techniques, as well as characterization methods, and finally their practical applications in tissue repair and regeneration, antifouling and antimicrobial applications, drug delivery, and cell encapsulation and delivery. Insights on these topics will provide rational guidelines for using nature's blueprints to develop hydrogel materials with advanced functionalities and uncompromised adhesive properties.

Injectable Citrate-Based Hydrogel as an Angiogenic Biomaterial Improves Cardiac Repair after Myocardial Infarction

Implanted medical biomaterials are closely in contact with host biological systems via biomaterial-cell/tissue interactions, and these interactions play pivotal roles in regulating cell functions and tissue regeneration. However, many biomaterials degrade over time, and these degradation products also have been shown to interact with host cells/tissue. Therefore, it may prove useful to specifically design implanted biomaterials with degradation products which greatly improve the performance of the implant. Herein, we report an injectable, citrate-containing polyester hydrogel which can release citrate as a cell regulator via hydrogel degradation and simultaneously show sustained release of an encapsulated growth factor Mydgf. By coupling the therapeutic effect of the hydrogel degradation product (citrate) with encapsulated Mydgf, we observed improved postmyocardial infarction (MI) heart repair in a rat MI model. Intramyocardial injection of our Mydgf-loaded citrate-containing hydrogel was shown to significantly reduce scar formation and infarct size, increase wall thickness and neovascularization, and improve heart function. This bioactive injectable hydrogel-mediated combinatorial approach offers myriad advantages including potential adjustment of delivery rate and duration, improved therapeutic effect, and minimally invasive administration. Our rational design combining beneficial degradation product and controlled release of therapeutics provides inspiration toward the next generation of biomaterials aiming to revolutionize regenerative medicine.

Injectable, Hyaluronic Acid-Based Scaffolds with Macroporous Architecture for Gene Delivery

INTRODUCTION

Biomaterials can provide localized reservoirs for controlled release of therapeutic biomolecules and drugs for applications in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. As carriers of gene-based therapies, biomaterial scaffolds can improve efficiency and delivery-site localization of transgene expression. Controlled delivery of gene therapy vectors from scaffolds requires cell-scale macropores to facilitate rapid host cell infiltration. Recently, advanced methods have been developed to form injectable scaffolds containing cell-scale macropores. However, relative efficacy of in vivo gene delivery from scaffolds formulated using these general approaches has not been previously investigated. Using two of these methods, we fabricated scaffolds based on hyaluronic acid (HA) and compared how their unique, macroporous architectures affected their respective abilities to deliver transgenes via lentiviral vectors in vivo.

METHODS

Three types of scaffolds-nanoporous HA hydrogels (NP-HA), annealed HA microparticles (HA-MP) and nanoporous HA hydrogels containing protease-degradable poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) microparticles as sacrificial porogens (PEG-MP)-were loaded with lentiviral particles encoding reporter transgenes and injected into mouse mammary fat. Scaffolds were evaluated for their ability to induce rapid infiltration of host cells and subsequent transgene expression.

RESULTS

Cell densities in scaffolds, distances into which cells penetrated scaffolds, and transgene expression levels significantly increased with delivery from HA-MP, compared to NP-HA and PEG-MP, scaffolds. Nearly 8-fold greater cell densities and up to 16-fold greater transgene expression levels were found in HA-MP, over NP-HA, scaffolds. Cell profiling revealed that within HA-MP scaffolds, macrophages (F4/80+), fibroblasts (ERTR7+) and endothelial cells (CD31+) were each present and expressed delivered transgene.

CONCLUSIONS

Results demonstrate that injectable scaffolds containing cell-scale macropores in an open, interconnected architecture support rapid host cell infiltration to improve efficiency of biomaterial-mediated gene delivery.

Engineering Bioactive Self-Healing Antibacterial Exosomes Hydrogel for Promoting Chronic Diabetic Wound Healing and Complete Skin Regeneration

Rationale: Chronic nonhealing diabetic wound therapy and complete skin regeneration remains a critical clinical challenge. The controlled release of bioactive factors from a multifunctional hydrogel was a promising strategy to repair chronic wounds. Methods: Herein, for the first time, we developed an injectable, self-healing and antibacterial polypeptide-based FHE hydrogel (F127/OHA-EPL) with stimuli-responsive adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells exosomes (AMSCs-exo) release for synergistically enhancing chronic wound healing and complete skin regeneration. The materials characterization, antibacterial activity, stimulated cellular behavior and in vivo full-thickness diabetic wound healing ability of the hydrogels were performed and analyzed. Results: The FHE hydrogel possessed multifunctional properties including fast self-healing process, shear-thinning injectable ability, efficient antibacterial activity, and long term pH-responsive bioactive exosomes release behavior. In vitro, the FHE@exosomes (FHE@exo) hydrogel significantly promoted the proliferation, migration and tube formation ability of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). In vivo, the FHE@exo hydrogel significantly enhanced the healing efficiency of diabetic full-thickness cutaneous wounds, characterized with enhanced wound closure rates, fast angiogenesis, re-epithelization and collagen deposition within the wound site. Moreover, the FHE@exo hydrogel displayed better healing outcomes than those of exosomes or FHE hydrogel alone, suggesting that the sustained release of exosomes and FHE hydrogel can synergistically facilitate diabetic wound healing. Skin appendages and less scar tissue also appeared in FHE@exo hydrogel treated wounds, indicating its potent ability to achieve complete skin regeneration. Conclusion: This work offers a new approach for repairing chronic wounds completely through a multifunctional hydrogel with controlled exosomes release.

A Mild Method for Surface-Grafting PEG Onto Segmented Poly(Ester-Urethane) Film with High Grafting Density for Biomedical Purpose

In the paper, poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) was grafted on the surface of poly(ester-urethane) (SPEU) film with high grafting density for biomedical purposes. The PEG-surface-grafted SPEU (SPEU-PEG) was prepared by a three-step chemical treatment under mild-reaction conditions. Firstly, the SPEU film surface was treated with 1,6-hexanediisocyanate to introduce -NCO groups on the surface with high density (5.28 × 10-7 mol/cm²) by allophanate reaction; subsequently, the -NCO groups attached to SPEU surface were coupled with one of -NH₂ groups of tris(2-aminoethyl)amine via condensation reaction to immobilize -NH₂ on the surface; finally, PEG with different molecular weight was grafted on the SPEU surface through Michael addition between terminal C = C bond of monoallyloxy PEG and -NH₂ group on the film surface. The chemical structure and modified surface were characterized by FT-IR, ¹H NMR, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and water contact angle. The SPEU-PEGs displaying much lower water contact angles (23.9⁻21.8°) than SPEU (80.5°) indicated that the hydrophilic PEG chains improved the surface hydrophilicity significantly. The SPEU-PEG films possessed outstanding mechanical properties with strain at break of 866⁻884% and ultimate stress of 35.5⁻36.4 MPa, which were slightly lower than those of parent film, verifying that the chemical treatments had minimum deterioration on the mechanical properties of the substrate. The bovine serum albumin adsorption and platelet adhesion tests revealed that SPEU-PEGs had improved resistance to protein adsorption (3.02⁻2.78 μg/cm²) and possessed good resistance to platelet adhesion (781⁻697 per mm²), indicating good surface hemocompatibility. In addition, due to the high grafting density, the molecular weight of surface-grafted PEG had marginal effect on the surface hydrophilicity and hemocompatibility.

Hyaluronic Acid and Polyethylene Glycol Hybrid Hydrogel Encapsulating Nanogel with Hemostasis and Sustainable Antibacterial Property for Wound Healing

Immediate hemorrhage control and anti-infection play important roles in the wound management. Besides, a moist environment is also beneficial for wound healing. Hydrogels are promising materials in urgent hemostasis and drug release. However, hydrogels have the disadvantage of rapid release profiles, leading to the exposure to high drug concentrations. In this study, we constructed hybrid hydrogels with rapid hemostasis and sustainable antibacterial property combining aminoethyl methacrylate hyaluronic acid (HA-AEMA) and methacrylated methoxy polyethylene glycol (mPEG-MA) hybrid hydrogels and chlorhexidine diacetate (CHX)-loaded nanogels. The CHX-loaded nanogels (CLNs) were prepared by the enzyme degradation of CHX-loaded lysine-based hydrogels. The HA-AEMA and mPEG-MA hybrid hydrogel loaded with CLNs (labeled as Gel@CLN) displayed a three-dimensional microporous structure and exhibited excellent swelling, mechanical property, and low cytotoxicity. The Gel@CLN hydrogel showed a prolonged release period of CHX over 240 h and the antibacterial property over 10 days. The hemostasis and wound-healing properties were evaluated in vivo using a mouse model. The results showed that hydrogel had the rapid hemostasis capacity and accelerated wound healing. In summary, CLN-loaded hydrogels may be excellent candidates as hemostasis and anti-infection materials for the wound dressing application.

In situ formation of adhesive hydrogels based on PL with laterally grafted catechol groups and their bonding efficacy to wet organic substrates

Adhesives with catechol moieties have been widely investigated in recent years. However, actually how much catechol groups for these mussel bio-inspired adhesives, especially in their natural form under physiological condition, is appropriate to bond with organic substrates has not been studied intensively. This study blends ε-polylysine (PL), featuring laterally grafted catechols under physiological conditions (pH 7.4), with oxidized dextran to form a hydrogel in situ via the Schiff base without introducing small cytotoxic molecules as crosslinking agents. It finds that the amount of catechol groups imposes an obvious influence on gelation time, swelling behavior, and hydrogel morphology. Both the storage modulus and adhesion strength are found to increase first and decrease afterwards with an increase of pendent catechol content. Furthermore, catechol hydrogen interactions and the decrease in the crosslink density derived from the decrease of amino groups on PL are simultaneously found to affect the storage modulus. Meanwhile, multiple hydrogen-bonding interactions of catechol with amino, hydroxyl, and carboxyl groups, which are in abundance on the surface of tissue, are mainly found to provide an adhesive force. The study finds that with more catechol, there is a greater chance that the cohesive force will weaken, making the entire adhesion strength of the hydrogel decrease. Using a cytotoxicity test, the nontoxicity of the hydrogel towards the growth of L929 cells is proven, indicating that hydrogels have potential applications in soft tissue repair under natural physiological conditions.

Design of Thiol- and Light-sensitive Degradable Hydrogels using Michael-type Addition Reactions

Injectable depots that respond to exogenous and endogenous stimuli present an attractive strategy for tunable, patient-specific drug delivery. Here, the design of injectable and multimodal degradable hydrogels that respond to externally applied light and physiological stimuli, specifically aqueous and reducing microenvironments, is reported. Rapid hydrogel formation was achieved using a thiol-maleimide click reaction between multifunctional poly(ethylene glycol) macromers. Hydrogel degradation kinetics in response to externally applied cytocompatible light, reducing conditions, and hydrolysis were characterized, and degradation of the gel was controlled over multiple time scales from seconds to days. Further, tailored release of an encapsulated model cargo, fluorescent nanobeads, was demonstrated.

Photocrosslinked layered gelatin-chitosan hydrogel with graded compositions for osteochondral defect repair

A layered gelatin-chitosan hydrogel with graded composition was prepared via photocrosslinking to simulate the polysaccharide/collagen composition of the natural tissue and mimic the multi-layered gradient structure of the cartilage-bone interface tissue. Firstly, gelatin and carboxymethyl chitosan were reacted with glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) to obtain methacrylated gelatin (Gtn-GMA) and carboxymethyl chitosan (CS-GMA). Then, the mixed solutions of Gtn-GMA in different methacrylation degrees with CS-GMA were prepared to form the superficial, transitional and deep layers of the hydrogel, respectively under the irradiation of ultraviolet light, while polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane was introduced in the deep layer to improve the mechanical properties. Results suggested that the pore sizes of the superficial, transitional and deep layers of the layered hydrogel were 115 ± 30, 94 ± 34, 51 ± 12 μm, respectively and their porosities were all higher than 80 %. The compressive strengths of them were 165 ± 54, 565 ± 50 and 993 ± 108 kPa, respectively and the strain of the gradient hydrogel decreased along the thickness direction, similar to the natural tissue. The in vitro cytotoxicity results showed that the hydrogel had good cytocompatibility and the in vivo repair results of osteochondral defect demonstrated remarkable recovery by using the gradient gelatin-chitosan hydrogel, especially when the hydrogel loading transforming growth factor-β1. Therefore, it was suggested that the prepared layered gelatin-chitosan hydrogel in this study could be potentially used to promote cartilage-bone interface tissue repair.