Controlled release of BMP-2 from alginate nanohydrogels enhanced osteogenic differentiation of human bone marrow stromal cells

Advancements and Applications of Injectable Hydrogel Composites in Biomedical Research and Therapy

Injectable hydrogels have gained popularity for their controlled release, targeted delivery, and enhanced mechanical properties. They hold promise in cardiac regeneration, joint diseases, postoperative analgesia, and ocular disorder treatment. Hydrogels enriched with nano-hydroxyapatite show potential in bone regeneration, addressing challenges of bone defects, osteoporosis, and tumor-associated regeneration. In wound management and cancer therapy, they enable controlled release, accelerated wound closure, and targeted drug delivery. Injectable hydrogels also find applications in ischemic brain injury, tissue regeneration, cardiovascular diseases, and personalized cancer immunotherapy. This manuscript highlights the versatility and potential of injectable hydrogel nanocomposites in biomedical research. Moreover, it includes a perspective section that explores future prospects, emphasizes interdisciplinary collaboration, and underscores the promising future potential of injectable hydrogel nanocomposites in biomedical research and applications.

Nanogels for bone tissue engineering - from synthesis to application

Nanogels are cross-linked hydrogel nanoparticles with a three-dimensional, tunable porous structure that merges the best features of hydrogels and nanoparticles, including the ability to retain their hydrated nature and to swell and shrink in response to environmental changes. Nanogels have attracted increasing attention for use in bone tissue engineering as scaffolds for growth factor transport and cell adhesion. Their three-dimensional structures allow the encapsulation of a wide range of hydrophobic and hydrophilic drugs, enhance their half-life, and impede their enzymatic breakdown in vivo. Nanogel-based scaffolds are a viable treatment modality for enhanced bone regeneration. They act as carriers for cells and active ingredients capable of controlled release, enhanced mechanical support, and osteogenesis for enhanced bone tissue regeneration. However, the development of such nanogel constructs might involve combinations of several biomaterials to fabricate active ingredients that can control release, enhance mechanical support, and facilitate osteogenesis for more effective bone tissue regeneration. Hence, this review aims to highlight the potential of nanogel-based scaffolds to address the needs of bone tissue engineering.

Controlled synthesis and characterization of nanohydrogels formed from copolymer (2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid/acrylamide)

Nanohydrogels were prepared from copolymer 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid (AMPS)/acrylamide (AAm) in the presence of sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) followed by γ-ray exposure. Different molar ratios of AMPS to AAm, 100:0 to 0:100, were investigated. The particle sizes of nanohydrogels were examined by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM). The effects of different comonomer composition and pH on swelling (%) and gelation (%) were studied. The characterization of nanohydrogels was performed by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, energy dispersion X-ray (EDX), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results indicate that particle sizes ranged from ~9.5 to ~39 nm.

Hydrolysis and Sulfation Pattern Effects on Release of Bioactive Bone Morphogenetic Protein-2 from Heparin-Based Microparticles

Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs) such as heparin are promising materials for growth factor delivery due to their ability to efficiently bind positively charged growth factors including bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) through their negatively charged sulfate groups. Therefore, the goal of this study was to examine BMP-2 release from heparin-based microparticles (MPs) after first, incorporating a hydrolytically degradable crosslinker and varying heparin content within MPs to alter MP degradation and second, altering the sulfation pattern of heparin within MPs to vary BMP-2 binding and release. Using varied MP formulations, it was found that the time course of MP degradation for 1 wt% heparin MPs was ~4 days slower than 10 wt% heparin MPs, indicating that MP degradation was dependent on heparin content. After incubating 100 ng BMP-2 with 0.1 mg MPs, most MP formulations loaded BMP-2 with ~50% efficiency and significantly more BMP-2 release (60% of loaded BMP-2) was observed from more sulfated heparin MPs (MPs with ~100% and 80% of native sulfation). Similarly, BMP-2 bioactivity in more sulfated heparin MP groups was at least four-fold higher than soluble BMP-2 and less sulfated heparin MP groups, as determined by an established C2C12 cell alkaline phosphatase (ALP) assay. Ultimately, the two most sulfated 10 wt% heparin MP formulations were able to efficiently load and release BMP-2 while enhancing BMP-2 bioactivity, making them promising candidates for future growth factor delivery applications.

The marine sponge-derived inorganic polymers, biosilica and polyphosphate, as morphogenetically active matrices/scaffolds for the differentiation of human multipotent stromal cells: potential application in 3D printing and distraction osteogenesis

The two marine inorganic polymers, biosilica (BS), enzymatically synthesized from ortho-silicate, and polyphosphate (polyP), a likewise enzymatically synthesized polymer consisting of 10 to >100 phosphate residues linked by high-energy phosphoanhydride bonds, have previously been shown to display a morphogenetic effect on osteoblasts. In the present study, the effect of these polymers on the differential differentiation of human multipotent stromal cells (hMSC), mesenchymal stem cells, that had been encapsulated into beads of the biocompatible plant polymer alginate, was studied. The differentiation of the hMSCs in the alginate beads was directed either to the osteogenic cell lineage by exposure to an osteogenic medium (mineralization activation cocktail; differentiation into osteoblasts) or to the chondrogenic cell lineage by incubating in chondrocyte differentiation medium (triggering chondrocyte maturation). Both biosilica and polyP, applied as Ca²⁺ salts, were found to induce an increased mineralization in osteogenic cells; these inorganic polymers display also morphogenetic potential. The effects were substantiated by gene expression studies, which revealed that biosilica and polyP strongly and significantly increase the expression of bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP-2) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) in osteogenic cells, which was significantly more pronounced in osteogenic versus chondrogenic cells. A differential effect of the two polymers was seen on the expression of the two collagen types, I and II. While collagen Type I is highly expressed in osteogenic cells, but not in chondrogenic cells after exposure to biosilica or polyP, the upregulation of the steady-state level of collagen Type II transcripts in chondrogenic cells is comparably stronger than in osteogenic cells. It is concluded that the two polymers, biosilica and polyP, are morphogenetically active additives for the otherwise biologically inert alginate polymer. It is proposed that alginate, supplemented with polyP and/or biosilica, is a suitable biomaterial that promotes the growth and differentiation of hMSCs and might be beneficial for application in 3D tissue printing of hMSCs and for the delivery of hMSCs in fractures, surgically created during distraction osteogenesis.

Drug delivery in soft tissue engineering

INTRODUCTION

Tissue defects, sustained through disease or trauma, present enormous challenges in regenerative medicine. Modern tissue engineering (TE) aims at replacing or repairing these defects through a combined approach of biodegradable scaffolds, suitable cell sources and appropriate environmental cues, such as biomolecules presented on scaffold surfaces or sustainably released from within.

AREAS COVERED

This review provides a brief overview of the various drugs and bioactive molecules of interest to TE, as well as a selection of materials that have been proposed for TE scaffolds and matrices in the past. It then proceeds to discuss encapsulation, immobilization and controlled release strategies for bioactive proteins, before discussing recent advances in this area with a special focus on soft TE.

EXPERT OPINION

Overall, minimal clinical success has been achieved so far in using growth factor, morphogen, or adhesion factor modified scaffolds and matrices; only one growth factor delivery system (Regranex Gel), has been approved by the FDA for clinical use, with only a handful of other growth factors being approved for human use so far. However, many more growth factors are currently in clinical Phase I - II or preclinical trials and many delivery systems utilize materials already approved by the FDA for other purposes. With respect to drug delivery in soft TE, a combination of increased research efforts in hydrogel and support material development as well as growth factor development is needed before clinical success is realized.