3D-bioprinted alginate-based bioink scaffolds with β-tricalcium phosphate for bone regeneration applications

Background/purpose

3D-printed bone tissue engineering is becoming recognized as a key approach in dentistry for creating customized bone regeneration treatments fitting patients bone defects requirements. 3D bioprinting offers an innovative method to fabricate detailed 3D structures, closely emulating the native bone micro-environment and better bone regeneration. This study aimed to develop an 3D-bioprintable scaffold using a combination of alginate and β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) with the Cellink® BioX printer, aiming to advance the field of tissue engineering.

Materials and methods

The physical and biological properties of the resulting 3D-printed scaffolds were evaluated at 10 %, 12 %, and 15 % alginate combined with 10 % β-TCP. The scaffolds were characterized through printability, swelling behavior, degradability, and element analysis. The biological assessment included cell viability, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity.

Results

10 % alginate/β-TCP 3D printed at 25 °C scaffold demonstrated the optimal condition for printability, swelling capability, and degradability of cell growth and nutrient diffusion. Addition of β-TCP particles significantly improved the 3D printed material viscosity over only alginate (P < 0.05). 10 % alginate/β-TCP enhanced MG-63 cell's proliferation (P < 0.05) and alkaline phosphatase activity (P < 0.001).

Conclusion

This study demonstrated in vitro that 10 % alginate/β-TCP bioink characteristic for fabricating 3D acellular bioprinted scaffolds was the best approach. 10 % alginate/β-TCP bioink 3D-printed scaffold exhibited superior physical properties and promoted enhanced cell viability and alkaline phosphatase activity, showing great potential for personalized bone regeneration treatments.

A review of advanced hydrogels for cartilage tissue engineering

With the increase in weight and age of the population, the consumption of tobacco, inappropriate foods, and the reduction of sports activities in recent years, bone and joint diseases such as osteoarthritis (OA) have become more common in the world. From the past until now, various treatment strategies (e.g., microfracture treatment, Autologous Chondrocyte Implantation (ACI), and Mosaicplasty) have been investigated and studied for the prevention and treatment of this disease. However, these methods face problems such as being invasive, not fully repairing the tissue, and damaging the surrounding tissues. Tissue engineering, including cartilage tissue engineering, is one of the minimally invasive, innovative, and effective methods for the treatment and regeneration of damaged cartilage, which has attracted the attention of scientists in the fields of medicine and biomaterials engineering in the past several years. Hydrogels of different types with diverse properties have become desirable candidates for engineering and treating cartilage tissue. They can cover most of the shortcomings of other treatment methods and cause the least secondary damage to the patient. Besides using hydrogels as an ideal strategy, new drug delivery and treatment methods, such as targeted drug delivery and treatment through mechanical signaling, have been studied as interesting strategies. In this study, we review and discuss various types of hydrogels, biomaterials used for hydrogel manufacturing, cartilage-targeting drug delivery, and mechanosignaling as modern strategies for cartilage treatment.

Cytocompatibility Evaluation of PEG-Methylsulfone Hydrogels

Methylsulfone derivatized poly(ethylene) glycol (PEG) macromers can be biofunctionalized with thiolated ligands and cross-linked with thiol-based cross-linkers to obtain bioactive PEG hydrogels for in situ cell encapsulation. Methylsulfonyl-thiol (MS-SH) reactions present several advantages for this purpose when compared to other thiol-based cross-linking systems. They proceed with adequate and tunable kinetics for encapsulation, they reach a high conversion degree with good selectivity, and they generate stable reaction products. Our previous work demonstrated the cytocompatibility of cross-linked PEG-MS/thiol hydrogels in contact with fibroblasts. However, the cytocompatibility of the in situ MS-SH cross-linking reaction itself, which generates methylsulfinic acid as byproduct at the cross-linked site, remains to be evaluated. These studies are necessary to evaluate the potential of these systems for in vivo applications. Here we perform an extensive cytocompatibility study of PEG hydrogels during in situ cross-linking by the methylsulfonyl-thiol reaction. We compare these results with maleimide-thiol cross-linked PEGs which are well established for cell culture and in vivo experiments and do not involve the release of a byproduct. We show that fibroblasts and endothelial cells remain viable after in situ polymerization of methylsulfonyl-thiol gels on the top of the cell layers. Cell viability seems better than after in situ cross-linking hydrogels with maleimide-thiol chemistry. The endothelial cell proinflammatory phenotype is low and similar to the one obtained by the maleimide-thiol reaction. Finally, no activation of monocytes is observed. All in all, these results demonstrate that the methylsulfonyl-thiol chemistry is cytocompatible and does not trigger high pro-inflammatory responses in endothelial cells and monocytes. These results make methylsulfonyl-thiol chemistries eligible for in vivo testing and eventually clinical application in the future.

Reduction-Responsive Chitosan-Based Injectable Hydrogels for Enhanced Anticancer Therapy

Selective delivery of anticancer drug molecules to the tumor site enhances local drug dosages, which leads to the death of cancer cells while simultaneously minimizing the negative effects of chemotherapy on other tissues, thereby improving the patient's quality of life. To address this need, we developed reduction-responsive chitosan-based injectable hydrogels via the inverse electron demand Diels-Alder reaction between tetrazine groups of disulfide-based cross-linkers and norbornene groups of chitosan derivatives, which were applied to the controlled delivery of doxorubicin (DOX). The swelling ratio, gelation time (90-500 s), mechanical strength (G'~350-850 Pa), network morphology, and drug-loading efficiency (≥92%) of developed hydrogels were investigated. The in vitro release studies of the DOX-loaded hydrogels were performed at pH 7.4 and 5.0 with and without DTT (10 mM). The biocompatibility of pure hydrogel and the in vitro anticancer activity of DOX-loaded hydrogels were demonstrated via MTT assay on HEK-293 and HT-29 cancer cell lines, respectively.

Research Progress in Enzymatically Cross-Linked Hydrogels as Injectable Systems for Bioprinting and Tissue Engineering

Hydrogels have been developed for different biomedical applications such as in vitro culture platforms, drug delivery, bioprinting and tissue engineering. Enzymatic cross-linking has many advantages for its ability to form gels in situ while being injected into tissue, which facilitates minimally invasive surgery and adaptation to the shape of the defect. It is a highly biocompatible form of cross-linking, which permits the harmless encapsulation of cytokines and cells in contrast to chemically or photochemically induced cross-linking processes. The enzymatic cross-linking of synthetic and biogenic polymers also opens up their application as bioinks for engineering tissue and tumor models. This review first provides a general overview of the different cross-linking mechanisms, followed by a detailed survey of the enzymatic cross-linking mechanism applied to both natural and synthetic hydrogels. A detailed analysis of their specifications for bioprinting and tissue engineering applications is also included.

Injectable enzyme-catalyzed crosslinking hydrogels as BMSCs-laden tunable scaffold for osteogenic differentiation

Bone defects caused by trauma or tumor are a significant challenge in clinical practice. Hydrogel-based tissue engineering has been considered an effective strategy. This study successfully formed a series of injectable hydrogels by enzyme-catalyzed crosslinking hyaluronic acid-tyramine (HA-TA) and sodium alginate-tyramine (ALG-TA) under physiological conditions in the presence of both horseradish peroxidase and hydrogen peroxide. The morphology, mechanical properties, swelling properties, and biodegradation properties of hydrogels were investigated. The results showed that the mechanical properties, swelling properties and biodegradation of HA/ALG hydrogels varied with the precursor solution concentration. Furthermore, the proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs within the HA/ALG hydrogels were evaluated in vitro. The results illustrated that the hydrogels could offer an excellent microenvironment for BMSCs growth and promote osteogenic differentiation. Therefore, the injectable hydrogels can be used as an effective 3 D scaffold for bone repair and regeneration.

Scarless Healing of Injured Vocal Folds Using an Injectable Hyaluronic Acid-Waterborne Polyurethane Hybrid Hydrogel to Tune Inflammation and Collagen Deposition

Vocal fold (VF) scarring results from injury to the unique layered structure and is one of the main reasons for long-lasting dysphonia. A minimally invasive procedure with injectable hydrogels is a promising method for therapy. However, current surgical techniques or standard injectable fillers do not yield satisfactory outcomes. In this work, an injectable hybrid hydrogel consisting of oxide hyaluronic acid and hydrazide-modified waterborne polyurethane emulsion was injected precisely into the injury site and cross-linked in situ by a dynamic hydrazone bond. The prepared hydrogel displays excellent injectability and self-healing ability, showing favorable biocompatibility and biodegradability to facilitate endogenous newborn cell migration and growth for tissue regeneration. With the aim of evaluating the antifibrosis and regeneration capacity of the hybrid hydrogel in the VF scarring model, the morphology and vibration characteristics of VFs, inflammatory response, and healing status were collected. The hybrid hydrogel can decrease the inflammation and increase the ratio of collagen III/collagen I to heal damaged scar-free tissue. Fascinatingly, the mucosal wave oscillations of healing VF by injecting the hybrid hydrogel were vibrated like the normal VF, achieving functional restoration. This work highlights the utility of hybrid hydrogels consisting of synthetic biodegradable waterborne polyurethane emulsions and natural hyaluronic acid as promising biomaterials for scarless healing of damaged VFs.

Injectable Diels-Alder cycloaddition hydrogels with tuneable gelation, stiffness and degradation for the sustained release of T-lymphocytes

Engineered T-cell therapies have proven highly efficacious for the treatment of haematological cancers, but translation of this success to solid tumours has been limited, in part, due to difficulties in maintaining high doses at specific target sites. Hydrogel delivery systems that provide a sustained release of T-cells at the target site are emerging as a promising strategy. Therefore, in this study we aimed to develop an injectable hydrogel that gels in situ via efficient Diels-Alder cycloaddition (DAC) chemistry and provides a sustained release of T-cells through gradual hydrolysis of the hydrogel matrix. Hydrogels were prepared via the DAC between fulvene and maleimide functionalised poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) derivatives. By adjusting the concentration and molecular weight of the functionalised PEGs in the hydrogel formulation the in vitro gelation time (T_gel), initial Young's modulus (E) and degradation time (T_d) could be tailored from 15-150 min, 5-179 kPa and 7-114 h, respectively. Prior to gelation, the formulations could be readily injected through narrow gauge (26 G) needles with the working time correlating closely with the T_gel. A 5 wt% hydrogel formation with conjugated cyclic RGD motif was found to be optimal for the encapsulation and release of CD3⁺ T-cells with a near linear release profile and >70% cell viability over the first 4 d and release continuing out to 7 d. With their tuneable T_gel, T_d and stiffness, the DAC hydrogels provide the opportunity to control the release period and profile of encapsulated cells.

Viscoelastic Chondroitin Sulfate and Hyaluronic Acid Double-Network Hydrogels with Reversible Cross-Links

Viscoelastic hydrogels are gaining interest as they possess necessary requirements for bioprinting and injectability. By means of reversible, dynamic covalent bonds, it is possible to achieve features that recapitulate the dynamic character of the extracellular matrix. Dually cross-linked and double-network (DN) hydrogels seem to be ideal for the design of novel biomaterials and bioinks, as a wide range of properties required for mimicking advanced and complex tissues can be achieved. In this study, we investigated the fabrication of chondroitin sulfate/hyaluronic acid (CS/HA)-based DN hydrogels, in which two networks are interpenetrated and cross-linked with the dynamic covalent bonds of very different lifetimes. Namely, Diels-Alder adducts (between methylfuran and maleimide) and hydrazone bonds (between aldehyde and hydrazide) were chosen as cross-links, leading to viscoelastic hydrogels. Furthermore, we show that viscoelasticity and the dynamic character of the resulting hydrogels could be tuned by changing the composition, that is, the ratio between the two types of cross-links. Also, due to a very dynamic nature and short lifetime of hydrazone cross-links (∼800 s), the DN hydrogel is easily processable (e.g., injectable) in the first stages of gelation, allowing the material to be used in extrusion-based 3D printing. The more long-lasting and robust Diels-Alder cross-links are responsible for giving the network enhanced mechanical strength and structural stability. Being highly charged and hydrophilic, the cross-linked CS and HA enable a high swelling capacity (maximum swelling ratio ranging from 6 to 12), which upon confinement results in osmotically stiffened constructs, able to mimic the mechanical properties of cartilage tissue, with the equilibrium moduli ranging from 0.3 to 0.5 MPa. Moreover, the mesenchymal stromal cells were viable in the presence of the hydrogels, and the effect of the degradation products on the macrophages suggests their safe use for further translational applications. The DN hydrogels with dynamic covalent cross-links hold great potential for the development of novel smart and tunable viscoelastic materials to be used as biomaterial inks or bioinks in bioprinting and regenerative medicine.

Novel nanocomposite scaffold based on gelatin/PLGA-PEG-PLGA hydrogels embedded with TGF-β1 for chondrogenic differentiation of human dental pulp stem cells in vitro

In the current study, a novel nanocomposite hydrogel scaffold comprising of natural-based gelatin and synthetic-based (poly D, L (lactide-co-glycolide) -b- poly (ethylene glycol)-b- poly D, L (lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA-PEG-PLGA) triblock copolymer was developed and loaded with transforming growth factor- β1 (TGF-β1). Synthesized scaffolds' chemical structure was examined by ¹H NMR and ATR-FTIR. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) confirmed particle size and morphology of the prepared nanoparticles as well as the scaffolds. The morphology analysis revealed a porous interconnected structure throughout the scaffold with a pore size dimension of about 202.05 µm. The swelling behavior, in vitro degradation, mechanical properties, density, and porosity were also evaluated. Phalloidin/DAPI staining was utilized for confirming the extended cytoskeleton of the chondrocytes. Alcian blue staining was conducted to determine cartilaginous matrix sulfated glycosaminoglycan (sGAG) synthesis. Eventually, over a period of 21 days, a real-time RT-PCR analysis was applied to measure the mRNA expression of chondrogenic marker genes, type-II collagen, SOX 9, and aggrecan, in hDPSCs cultured for up to 21 days to study the influence of gelatin/PLGA-PEG-PLGA-TGF-β1 hydrogels on hDPSCs. The findings of the cell-encapsulating hydrogels analysis suggested that the adhesion, viability, and chondrogenic differentiation of hDPSCs improved by gelatin/PLGA-PEG-PLGA-TGF-β1 nanocomposite hydrogels. These data supported the conclusion that gelatin/PLGA-PEG-PLGA-TGF-β1 nanocomposite hydrogels render the features that allow thein vitrofunctionality of encapsulated hDPSCs and hence can contribute the basis for new effective strategies for the treatment of cartilage injuries.

Advanced Hydrogels for Cartilage Tissue Engineering: Recent Progress and Future Directions

Cartilage is a tension- and load-bearing tissue and has a limited capacity for intrinsic self-healing. While microfracture and arthroplasty are the conventional methods for cartilage repair, these methods are unable to completely heal the damaged tissue. The need to overcome the restrictions of these therapies for cartilage regeneration has expanded the field of cartilage tissue engineering (CTE), in which novel engineering and biological approaches are introduced to accelerate the development of new biomimetic cartilage to replace the injured tissue. Until now, a wide range of hydrogels and cell sources have been employed for CTE to either recapitulate microenvironmental cues during a new tissue growth or to compel the recovery of cartilaginous structures via manipulating biochemical and biomechanical properties of the original tissue. Towards modifying current cartilage treatments, advanced hydrogels have been designed and synthesized in recent years to improve network crosslinking and self-recovery of implanted scaffolds after damage in vivo. This review focused on the recent advances in CTE, especially self-healing hydrogels. The article firstly presents the cartilage tissue, its defects, and treatments. Subsequently, introduces CTE and summarizes the polymeric hydrogels and their advances. Furthermore, characterizations, the advantages, and disadvantages of advanced hydrogels such as multi-materials, IPNs, nanomaterials, and supramolecular are discussed. Afterward, the self-healing hydrogels in CTE, mechanisms, and the physical and chemical methods for the synthesis of such hydrogels for improving the reformation of CTE are introduced. The article then briefly describes the fabrication methods in CTE. Finally, this review presents a conclusion of prevalent challenges and future outlooks for self-healing hydrogels in CTE applications.

Collagen- and hyaluronic acid-based hydrogels and their biomedical applications

Hydrogels have been widely investigated in biomedical fields due to their similar physical and biochemical properties to the extracellular matrix (ECM). Collagen and hyaluronic acid (HA) are the main components of the ECM in many tissues. As a result, hydrogels prepared from collagen and HA hold inherent advantages in mimicking the structure and function of the native ECM. Numerous studies have focused on the development of collagen and HA hydrogels and their biomedical applications. In this extensive review, we provide a summary and analysis of the sources, features, and modifications of collagen and HA. Specifically, we highlight the fabrication, properties, and potential biomedical applications as well as promising commercialization of hydrogels based on these two natural polymers.

Hydrogel Composites with Different Dimensional Nanoparticles for Bone Regeneration

The treatment of large segmental bone defects and complex types of fractures caused by trauma, inflammation, or tumor resection is still a challenge in the field of orthopedics. Various natural or synthetic biological materials used in clinical applications cannot fully replicate the structure and performance of raw bone. This highlights how to endow materials with multiple functions and biological properties, which is a problem that needs to be solved in practical applications. Hydrogels with outstanding biocompatibility, for their casting into any shape, size, or form, are suitable for different forms of bone defects. Therefore, they have been used in regenerative medicine more widely. In this review, versatile hydrogels are compounded with nanoparticles of different dimensions, and many desirable features of these materials in bone regeneration are introduced, including drug delivery, cell factor vehicle, cell scaffolds, which have potential in bone regeneration applications. The combination of hydrogels and nanoparticles of different dimensions encourages better filling of bone defect areas and has higher adaptability. This is due to the minimally invasive properties of the material and ability to match irregular defects. These biological characteristics make composite hydrogels with different dimensional nanoparticles become one of the most attractive options for bone regeneration materials.

Designing Hydrogels for 3D Cell Culture Using Dynamic Covalent Crosslinking

Designing simple biomaterials to replicate the biochemical and mechanical properties of tissues is an ongoing challenge in tissue engineering. For several decades, new biomaterials have been engineered using cytocompatible chemical reactions and spontaneous ligations via click chemistries to generate scaffolds and water swollen polymer networks, known as hydrogels, with tunable properties. However, most of these materials are static in nature, providing only macroscopic tunability of the scaffold mechanics, and do not reflect the dynamic environment of natural extracellular microenvironment. For more complex applications such as organoids or co-culture systems, there remain opportunities to investigate cells that locally remodel and change the physicochemical properties within the matrices. In this review, advanced biomaterials where dynamic covalent chemistry is used to produce stable 3D cell culture models and high-resolution constructs for both in vitro and in vivo applications, are discussed. The implications of dynamic covalent chemistry on viscoelastic properties of in vitro models are summarized, case studies in 3D cell culture are critically analyzed, and opportunities to further improve the performance of biomaterials for 3D tissue engineering are discussed.

Soft-hard hybrid covalent-network polymer sponges with super resilience, recoverable energy dissipation and fatigue resistance under large deformation

Energy absorption or dissipation ability has been widely developed in tough hydrogels and 3D nano-structured sponges for a variety of applications. However, fully recoverable energy dissipation and fatigue resistance under large deformation is still challenging yet highly desirable. Polymer network with homogeneous chemical crosslinking structures is an efficient way to construct hydrogels with high resilience and fatigue resistance. Unfortunately, such polymer network usually has poor energy dissipation capability. In this paper, we propose a new approach to build the ability of fully recoverable energy dissipation into covalent-crosslink polymer network by integrating soft and hard chains in a uniform crosslinking network and present the one-pot synthesis method for constructing corresponding polymer sponges by low-temperature phase-separation photopolymerization. The application of such polymer sponges as a tissue engineering scaffold, fabricated by using cyclic acetal units and PEG based monomers in particular is demonstrated. For the first time, we show the feasibility of building a synthetic scaffold with the characteristics of high porosity, super compressibility and resilience, fast recovery, completely recoverable energy dissipation, high fatigue resistance, biodegradability and biocompatibility. Such a scaffold is promising in tissue engineering especially in load-bearing applications.

Development, characterization and sterilisation of Nanocellulose-alginate-(hyaluronic acid)- bioinks and 3D bioprinted scaffolds for tissue engineering

3D-bioprinting is an emerging technology of high potential in tissue engineering (TE), since it shows effective control over scaffold fabrication and cell distribution. Biopolymers such as alginate (Alg), nanofibrillated cellulose (NC) and hyaluronic acid (HA) offer excellent characteristics for use as bioinks due to their excellent biocompatibility and rheological properties. Cell incorporation into the bioink requires sterilisation assurance, and autoclave, β-radiation and γ-radiation are widely used sterilisation techniques in biomedicine; however, their use in 3D-bioprinting for bioinks sterilisation is still in their early stages. In this study, different sterilisation procedures were applied on NC-Alg and NC-Alg-HA bioinks and their effect on several parameters was evaluated. Results demonstrated that NC-Alg and NC-Alg-HA bioinks suffered relevant rheological and physicochemical modifications after sterilisation; yet, it can be concluded that the short cycle autoclave is the best option to sterilise both NC-Alg based cell-free bioinks, and that the incorporation of HA to the NC-Alg bioink improves its characteristics. Additionally, 3D scaffolds were bioprinted and specifically characterized as well as the D1 mesenchymal stromal cells (D1-MSCs) embedded for cell viability analysis. Notably, the addition of HA demonstrates better scaffold properties, together with higher biocompatibility and cell viability in comparison with the NC-Alg scaffolds. Thus, the use of MSCs containing NC-Alg based scaffolds may become a feasible tissue engineering approach for regenerative medicine.

Recent advances in bio-orthogonal and dynamic crosslinking of biomimetic hydrogels

In recent years, dynamic, 'click' hydrogels have been applied in numerous biomedical applications. Owing to the mild, cytocompatible, and highly specific reaction kinetics, a multitude of orthogonal handles have been developed for fabricating dynamic hydrogels to facilitate '4D' cell culture. The high degree of tunability in crosslinking reactions of orthogonal 'click' chemistry has enabled a bottom-up approach to install specific biomimicry in an artificial extracellular matrix. In addition to click chemistry, highly specific enzymatic reactions are also increasingly used for network crosslinking and for spatiotemporal control of hydrogel properties. On the other hand, covalent adaptable chemistry has been used to recapitulate the viscoelastic component of biological tissues and for formulating self-healing and shear-thinning hydrogels. The common feature of these three classes of chemistry (i.e., orthogonal click chemistry, enzymatic reactions, and covalent adaptable chemistry) is that they can be carried out under ambient and aqueous conditions, a prerequisite for maintaining cell viability for in situ cell encapsulation and post-gelation modification of network properties. Due to their orthogonality, different chemistries can also be applied sequentially to provide additional biochemical and mechanical control to guide cell behavior. Herein, we review recent advances in the use of orthogonal click chemistry, enzymatic reactions, and covalent adaptable chemistry for the development of dynamically tunable and biomimetic hydrogels.

Hyaluronic acid containing scaffolds ameliorate stem cell function for tissue repair and regeneration

Recent evidence based studies have proposed hyaluronic acid (HA) as an emerging biopolymer for various tissue engineering application. Meanwhile, stem cells (SCs) have also gained immense popularity for their tissue regenerative capacity. Thus, combining HA and stem cells for tissue engineering application have shown to foster tissue repair and regeneration process. HA possesses the ability to interact with SCs via cellular surface receptors along with the capacity to elicit the process of differentiation. The influence of HA on stem cells has been widely investigated in cartilage and bone repair but their properties of reducing inflammation has also been explored in various other tissue repair processes. In this review, we have provided an insight to the effect of crosslinked and non-crosslinked HA on various stem cells. Further, HA based scaffolds combined with stem cells have shown to have a synergistic effect in the regeneration capacity. Also, various chemically modified HA and biomolecules conjugated HA as a suitable carrier or matrix for stem cells delivery and the effect of HA in fine tuning the stem cells function is discussed.

Injectable Functional Biomaterials for Minimally Invasive Surgery

Injectable materials represent very attractive ready-to-use biomaterials for application in minimally invasive surgical procedures. It is shown that this approach to treat, for example, vertebral fracture, craniofacial defects, or tumor resection has significant clinical potential in the biomedical field. In the last four decades, calcium phosphate cements have been widely used as injectable materials for orthopedic surgery due to their excellent properties in terms of biocompatibility and osteoconductivity. However, few clinical studies have demonstrated certain weaknesses of these cements, which include high viscosity, long degradation time, and difficulties being manipulated. To overcome these limitations, the use of sol-gel technology has been investigated, which has shown good results for synthesis of injectable calcium phosphate-based materials. In the last few decades, injectable hydrogels have gained increasing attention owing to their structural similarities with the extracellular matrix, easy process conditions, and potential applications in minimally invasive surgery. However, the need to protect cells during injection leads to the development of double network injectable hydrogels that are capable of being cross-linked in situ. This review will provide the current state of the art and recent advances in the field of injectable biomaterials for minimally invasive surgery.

S-protected thiolated hyaluronic acid: In-situ crosslinking hydrogels for 3D cell culture scaffold

The purpose of this study was to synthesize S-protected thiolated hyaluronic acid (HA) and to evaluate its potential for 3D cell culture scaffold. S-protected thiolated HA was synthesized by the covalent attachment of N-acetyl-S-((3-((2,5-dioxopyrrolidin-1-yl)oxy)-3-oxopropyl)thio)cysteine hydrazide ligand to the HA. Hydrogels were characterized for texture, swelling behavior and rheological properties. Furthermore, the potential of S-protected thiolated HA hydrogels as a scaffold for tissue engineering was evaluated by cell proliferation studies with Caco-2 and NIH 3T3 cells. It showed enhanced cohesion upon addition of N-acetyl cysteine (NAC). Dynamic viscosity of S-protected thiolated HA hydrogel was increased up to 19.5-fold by addition of NAC and 10.1-fold after mixing with mucus. Furthermore, Caco-2 and NIH 3T3 cells encapsulated into hydrogels proliferated in-vitro. As this novel S-protected thiolated HA is stable towards oxidation and forms highly cohesive gels when getting into contact with endogenous thiols due to disulfide-crosslinking, it is a promising tool for 3D cell culture scaffold.

Injectable dual cross-linked adhesive hyaluronic acid multifunctional hydrogel scaffolds for potential applications in cartilage repair

A double crosslinked hydrogels was designed and prepared by combining the Diels–Alder click reaction and possessed good mechanical strength, injectability and adhesion.

Rapid Diels-Alder Cross-linking of Cell Encapsulating Hydrogels

Recent efforts in the design of hydrogel biomaterials have focused on better mimicking the native cellular microenvironment to direct cell fate. To simultaneously control multiple material parameters, several orthogonal chemistries may be needed. However, present strategies to prepare cell-encapsulating hydrogels make use of relatively few chemical reactions. To expand this chemical toolkit, we report the preparation of hydrogels based on a Diels-Alder reaction between fulvenes and maleimides with markedly improved gelation kinetics and hydrolytic stability. Fulvene-maleimide gels cross-link up to 10-times faster than other commonly used DA reaction pairs and remain stable for months under physiological conditions. Furthermore, fulvene-maleimide gels presenting relevant biochemical cues, such as cell-adhesive ligands and proteolytic degradability, support the culture of human mesenchymal stromal cells. Finally, this rapid DA reaction was combined with an orthogonal click reaction to demonstrate how the use of selective chemistries can provide new avenues to incorporate multiple functionalities in hydrogel materials.

In situ-forming, mechanically resilient hydrogels for cell delivery

Injectable, in situ-forming hydrogels can improve cell delivery in tissue engineering applications by facilitating minimally invasive delivery to irregular defect sites and improving cell retention and survival. Tissues targeted for cell delivery often undergo diverse mechanical loading including high stress, high strain, and repetitive loading conditions. This review focuses on the development of hydrogel systems that meet the requirements of mechanical resiliency, cytocompatibility, and injectability for such applications. First, we describe the most important design considerations for maintaining the viability and function of encapsulated cells, for reproducing the target tissue morphology, and for achieving degradation profiles that facilitate tissue replacement. Models describing the relationships between hydrogel structure and mechanical properties are described, focusing on design principles necessary for producing mechanically resilient hydrogels. The advantages and limitations of current strategies for preparing cytocompatible, injectable, and mechanically resilient hydrogels are reviewed, including double networks, nanocomposites, and high molecular weight amphiphilic copolymer networks. Finally, challenges and opportunities are outlined to guide future research in this developing field.

Synthesis and Properties of Functional Glycomimetics through Click Grafting of Fucose onto Chondroitin Sulfates

Fucosylated chondroitin sulfate (fCS), a representative marine polysaccharide isolated from sea cucumber, possesses diverse biological functions especially as a promising anticoagulant. However, its supply suffers from the challenges of high-cost materials, different species, and batch-to-batch variability. In the present study, we designed a concise route for the synthesis of functional glycomimetics by natural fCS as a template. 4-(4,6-Dimethoxy-1,3,5-triazin-2-yl)-4-methylmorpholinium chloride-mediated amidation was applied on chondroitin sulfates for site-selective alkynylation with controllable ratios between 0.15 and 0.78. A small library of 12 fCS glycomimetics with specific sulfation patterns and fucose branches was prepared through copper-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition, which was fully characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and size-exclusion chromatography with multiangle light scattering and refractive index. Through screening of their biological activities, CSE-F1 and CSE-SF1 exhibited anticoagulant activities through intrinsic pathway and inhibition of factor Xa by antithrombin III. The concise approach developed herein supplies novel glycopolymers to mimic the distinct functions of natural polysaccharides and promote the development of marine carbohydrate-based drugs.

Analysis of the Effect of Processing Conditions on Physical Properties of Thermally Set Cellulose Hydrogels

Cellulose-based hydrogels were prepared by dissolving cellulose in aqueous sodium hydroxide (NaOH)/urea solutions and casting it into complex shapes by the use of sacrificial templates followed by thermal gelation of the solution. Both the gelling temperatures used (40–80 °C), as well as the method of heating by either induction in the form of a water bath and hot press or radiation by microwaves could be shown to have a significant effect on the compressive strength and modulus of the prepared hydrogels. Lower gelling temperatures and shorter heating times were found to result in stronger and stiffer gels. Both the effect of physical cross-linking via the introduction of additional non-dissolving cellulosic material, as well as chemical cross-linking by the introduction of epichlorohydrin (ECH), and a combination of both applied during the gelation process could be shown to affect both the mechanical properties and microstructure of the hydrogels. The added cellulose acts as a physical-cross-linking agent strengthening the hydrogen-bond network as well as a reinforcing phase improving the mechanical properties. However, chemical cross-linking of an unreinforced gel leads to unfavourable bonding and cellulose network formation, resulting in drastically increased pore sizes and reduced mechanical properties. In both cases, chemical cross-linking leads to larger internal pores.

Antioxidant Activities and Repair Effects on Oxidatively Damaged HK-2 Cells of Tea Polysaccharides with Different Molecular Weights

This study aims at investigating the antioxidant activity and repair effect of green tea polysaccharide (TPS) with different molecular weights (Mw) on damaged human kidney proximal tubular epithelial cells (HK-2). Scavenging activities on hydroxyl radical (·OH) and ABTS radical and reducing power of four kinds of TPS with Mw of 10.88 (TPS0), 8.16 (TPS1), 4.82 (TPS2), and 2.31 kDa (TPS3) were detected. A damaged cell model was established using 2.6 mmol/L oxalate to injure HK-2 cells. Then, different concentrations of TPSs were used to repair the damaged cells. Index changes of subcellular organelles of HK-2 cells were detected before and after repair. The four kinds of TPSs possessed radical scavenging activity and reducing power, wherein TPS2 with moderate Mw presented the strongest antioxidant activity. After repair by TPSs, cell morphology of damaged HK-2 cells was gradually restored to normal conditions. Reactive oxygen species production decreased, and mitochondrial membrane potential (Δψm) of repaired cells increased. Cells of G1 phase arrest were inhibited, and cell proportion in the S phase increased. Lysosome integrity improved, and cell apoptotic rates significantly reduced in the repaired group. The four kinds of TPSs with varying Mw displayed antioxidant activity and repair effect on the mitochondria, lysosomes, and intracellular DNA. TPS2, with moderate Mw, showed the strongest antioxidant activity and repair effect; it may become a potential drug for prevention and treatment of kidney stones.

A Hyaluronic Acid Based Injectable Hydrogel Formed via Photo-Crosslinking Reaction and Thermal-Induced Diels-Alder Reaction for Cartilage Tissue Engineering

A hyaluronic acid (HA) based injectable hydrogel with gradually increasing mechanical properties was synthesized via photo-crosslinking reaction and thermal-induced Diels-Alder (DA) reaction. The injectable hydrogel can quickly gelate within 30 s by photo-crosslinking of HA-furan under the catalysis of lithium phenyl-2,4,6-trimethylbenzoylphosphinate (LAP). This injectable property is beneficial to keep the encapsulated cell activity and convenient for clinical operation. And the mechanical properties can be control from 4.86 to 10.66 kPa by exposure time. Then, the thermal-induced DA click chemistry further occurs between furan groups and maleimide groups which gradually promoted the crosslinking density of the injectable hydrogel. The mechanical properties of the injectable hydrogel can be promoted to 21 kPa. ATDC-5 cells were successfully encapsulated in the injectable hydrogel and showed good activity. All the results suggested that the injectable hydrogel with gradually increasing mechanical properties formed by photo-crosslinking reaction and thermal-induced DA reaction has a good prospect of application in cartilage tissue engineering.

Injectable hydrogels: a new paradigm for osteochondral tissue engineering

Osteochondral tissue engineering has become a promising strategy for repairing focal chondral lesions and early osteoarthritis (OA), which account for progressive joint pain and disability in millions of people worldwide. Towards improving osteochondral tissue repair, injectable hydrogels have emerged as promising matrices due to their wider range of properties such as their high water content and porous framework, similarity to the natural extracellular matrix (ECM), ability to encapsulate cells within the matrix and ability to provide biological cues for cellular differentiation. Further, their properties such as those that facilitate minimally invasive deployment or delivery, and their ability to repair geometrically complex irregular defects have been critical for their success. In this review, we provide an overview of innovative approaches to engineer injectable hydrogels towards improved osteochondral tissue repair. Herein, we focus on understanding the biology of osteochondral tissue and osteoarthritis along with the need for injectable hydrogels in osteochondral tissue engineering. Furthermore, we discuss in detail different biomaterials (natural and synthetic) and various advanced fabrication methods being employed for the development of injectable hydrogels in osteochondral repair. In addition, in vitro and in vivo applications of developed injectable hydrogels for osteochondral tissue engineering are also reviewed. Finally, conclusions and future perspectives of using injectable hydrogels in osteochondral tissue engineering are provided.

Thiol-Epoxy "Click" Chemistry to Engineer Cytocompatible PEG-Based Hydrogel for siRNA-Mediated Osteogenesis of hMSCs

Thiol-epoxy "click" chemistry is employed for the first time to engineer a new cytocompatible PEG-based hydrogel system in aqueous media with the ability to encapsulate human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) and control their fate for tissue regeneration. Cells were easily encapsulated into the hydrogels and exhibited high cell viability over 4 weeks of culture regardless of the presence of siRNA, complexed with polyethylenimine (PEI) in the form of siRNA/PEI nanocomplexes, indicating the biocompatibility of the developed hydrogel. Loading pro-osteogenic siNoggin in the hydrogel significantly enhanced the osteogenesis of encapsulated hMSCs, demonstrating the potential application of this system in tissue engineering.

Chemical Design of Functional Polymer Structures for Biosensors: From Nanoscale to Macroscale

Over the past decades, biosensors, a class of physicochemical detectors sensitive to biological analytes, have drawn increasing interest, particularly in light of growing concerns about human health. Functional polymeric materials have been widely researched for sensing applications because of their structural versatility and significant progress that has been made concerning their chemistry, as well as in the field of nanotechnology. Polymeric nanoparticles are conventionally used in sensing applications due to large surface area, which allows rapid and sensitive detection. On the macroscale, hydrogels are crucial materials for biosensing applications, being used in many wearable or implantable devices as a biocompatible platform. The performance of both hydrogels and nanoparticles, including sensitivity, response time, or reversibility, can be significantly altered and optimized by changing their chemical structures; this has encouraged us to overview and classify chemical design strategies. Here, we have organized this review into two main sections concerning the use of nanoparticles and hydrogels (as polymeric structures) for biosensors and described chemical approaches in relevant subcategories, which act as a guide for general synthetic strategies.

In situ formation of interpenetrating polymer network using sequential thermal and click crosslinking for enhanced retention of transplanted cells

Injectable hydrogels, which are used as scaffolds in cell therapy, provide a minimally invasive strategy to enhance cell retention and survival at injection site. However, till now, slow in situ gelation, undesired mechanical properties, and weak cell adhesion characteristics of reported hydrogels, have led to improper results. Here, we developed an injectable fully-interpenetrated polymer network (f-IPN) by integration of Diels-Alder (DA) crosslinked network and thermosensitive injectable hydrogel. The proposed DA hydrogels were formed in a slow manner showing robust mechanical properties. Interpenetration of thermosensitive network into DA hydrogel accelerated in situ gel-formation and masked the slow reaction rate of DA crosslinking while keeping its unique features. Two networks were formed by simple syringe injection without the need of any initiator, catalyst, or double barrel syringe. The DA and f-IPN hydrogels showed comparable viscoelastic properties along with outstanding load-bearing and shape-recovery even under high levels of compression. The subcutaneous administration of cardiomyocytes-laden f-IPN hydrogel into nude mice revealed high cell retention and survival after two weeks. Additionally, the cardiomyocyte's identity of retained cells was confirmed by detection of human and cardiac-related markers. Our results indicate that the thermosensitive-covalent networks can open a new horizon within the injection-based cell therapy applications.

Bioorthogonal Strategies for Engineering Extracellular Matrices

Hydrogels are commonly used as engineered extracellular matrix (ECM) mimics in applications ranging from tissue engineering to in vitro disease models. Ideal mechanisms used to crosslink ECM-mimicking hydrogels do not interfere with the biology of the system. However, most common hydrogel crosslinking chemistries exhibit some form of cross-reactivity. The field of bio-orthogonal chemistry has arisen to address the need for highly specific and robust reactions in biological contexts. Accordingly, bio-orthogonal crosslinking strategies have been incorporated into hydrogel design, allowing for gentle and efficient encapsulation of cells in various hydrogel materials. Furthermore, the selective nature of bio-orthogonal chemistries can permit dynamic modification of hydrogel materials in the presence of live cells and other biomolecules to alter matrix mechanical properties and biochemistry on demand. In this review, we provide an overview of bio-orthogonal strategies used to prepare cell-encapsulating hydrogels and highlight the potential applications of bio-orthogonal chemistries in the design of dynamic engineered ECMs.

Tunable injectable alginate-based hydrogel for cell therapy in Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus

Islet transplantation has the potential of reestablishing naturally-regulated insulin production in Type 1 diabetic patients. Nevertheless, this procedure is limited due to the low islet survival after transplantation and the lifelong immunosuppression to avoid rejection. Islet embedding within a biocompatible matrix provides mechanical protection and a physical barrier against the immune system thus, increasing islet survival. Alginate is the preferred biomaterial used for embedding insulin-producing cells because of its biocompatibility, low toxicity and ease of gelation. However, alginate gelation is poorly controlled, affecting its physicochemical properties as an injectable biomaterial. Including different concentrations of the phosphate salt Na₂HPO₄ in alginate hydrogels, we can modulate their gelation time, tuning their physicochemical properties like stiffness and porosity while maintaining an appropriate injectability. Moreover, these hydrogels showed good biocompatibility when embedding a rat insulinoma cell line, especially at low Na₂HPO₄ concentrations, indicating that these hydrogels have potential as injectable biomaterials for Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus treatment.

Bioinspired Mechano-Sensitive Macroporous Ceramic Sponge for Logical Drug and Cell Delivery

On-demand, ultrahigh precision delivery of molecules and cells assisted by scaffold is a pivotal theme in the field of controlled release, but it remains extremely challenging for ceramic-based macroporous scaffolds that are prevalently used in regenerative medicine. Sea sponges (Phylum Porifera), whose bodies possess hierarchical pores or channels and organic/inorganic composite structures, can delicately control water intake/circulation and therefore achieve high precision mass transportation of food, oxygen, and wastes. Inspired by leuconoid sponge, in this study, the authors design and fabricate a biomimetic macroporous ceramic composite sponge (CCS) for high precision logic delivery of molecules and cells regulated by mechanical stimulus. The CCS reveals unique on-demand AND logic release behaviors in response to dual-gates of moisture and pressure (or strain) and, more importantly, 1 cm3 volume of CCS achieves unprecedentedly delivery precision of ≈100 ng per cycle for hydrophobic or hydrophilic molecules and ≈1400 cells per cycle for fibroblasts, respectively.

Injectable hydrogels for cartilage and bone tissue engineering

Tissue engineering has become a promising strategy for repairing damaged cartilage and bone tissue. Among the scaffolds for tissue-engineering applications, injectable hydrogels have demonstrated great potential for use as three-dimensional cell culture scaffolds in cartilage and bone tissue engineering, owing to their high water content, similarity to the natural extracellular matrix (ECM), porous framework for cell transplantation and proliferation, minimal invasive properties, and ability to match irregular defects. In this review, we describe the selection of appropriate biomaterials and fabrication methods to prepare novel injectable hydrogels for cartilage and bone tissue engineering. In addition, the biology of cartilage and the bony ECM is also summarized. Finally, future perspectives for injectable hydrogels in cartilage and bone tissue engineering are discussed.

Cytocompatible polyion complex gel of poly(Pro-Hyp-Gly) for simultaneous rat bone marrow stromal cell encapsulation

Polyion complex (PIC) gel of poly(Pro-Hyp-Gly) was successfully fabricated by simply mixing polyanion and polycation derivatives of poly(Pro-Hyp-Gly), a collagen-like polypeptide. The polyanion, succinylated poly(Pro-Hyp-Gly), and the polycation, arginylated poly(Pro-Hyp-Gly), contain carboxy (pK_a = 5.2) and guanidinium (pK_a = 12.4) groups, respectively. Mixing the polyanion and the polycation at physiological pH (pH = 7.4) resulted in PIC gel. The hydrogel formation was optimum at an equimolar ratio of carboxy to guanidinium groups, suggesting that ionic interaction is the main determinant for the hydrogel formation. The hydrogel was successfully used for simultaneous rat bone marrow stromal cell encapsulation. The encapsulated cells survived and proliferated within the hydrogel. In addition, the cells exhibited different morphology in the hydrogel compared with cells cultured on a tissue culture dish as a two-dimensional (2D) control. At day one, a round morphology and homogeneous single cell distribution were observed in the hydrogel. In contrast, the cells spread and formed a fibroblast-like morphology on the 2D control. After three days, the cells in the hydrogel maintained their morphology and some of them formed multicellular aggregates, which is similar to cell morphology in an in vivo microenvironment. These results suggest that the PIC gel of poly(Pro-Hyp-Gly) can serve as a cytocompatible three-dimensional scaffold for stem cell encapsulation, supporting their viability, proliferation, and in vivo-like behavior.

Effect of hydrogel material composition on hBMSC differentiation into zone-specific neo-cartilage: engineering human articular cartilage-like tissue with spatially varying properties

Material composition alone can be used to direct human bone marrow stromal cells into distinct, zone-specific cell phenotypes and spatially-varying, multi-layered material scaffolds can generate complex, patterned tissue structures.

pH-Modulating Poly(ethylene glycol)/Alginate Hydrogel Dressings for the Treatment of Chronic Wounds

The development of chronic wounds has been frequently associated with alkaline pH values. The application of pH-modulating wound dressings can, therefore, be a promising treatment option to promote normal wound healing. This study reports on the development and characterization of acidic hydrogel dressings based on interpenetrating poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate/acrylic acid/alginate networks. The incorporation of ionizable carboxylic acid groups results in high liquid uptake up to 500%. The combination of two separate polymer networks significantly improves the tensile and compressive stability. In a 2D cell migration assay, the application of hydrogels (0% to 1.5% acrylic acid) results in complete "wound" closure; hydrogels with 0.25% acrylic acid significantly increase the cell migration velocity to 19.8 ± 1.9 µm h^-1 . The most promising formulation (hydrogels with 0.25% acrylic acid) is tested on 3D human skin constructs, increasing keratinocyte ingrowth into the wound by 164%.