Anti-Inflammatory Properties of Injectable Betamethasone-Loaded Tyramine-Modified Gellan Gum/Silk Fibroin Hydrogels

Recent advances on biomedical applications of gellan gum: A review

Gellan gum (GG) has attracted considerable attention as a versatile biopolymer with numerous potential biological applications, especially in the fields of tissue engineering, wound healing, and cargo delivery. Due to its distinctive characteristics like biocompatibility, biodegradability, nontoxicity, and gel-forming ability, GG is well-suited for these applications. This review focuses on recent research on GG-based hydrogels and biocomposites and their biomedical applications. It discusses the incorporation of GG into hydrogels for controlled drug release, its role in promoting wound healing processes, and its potential in tissue engineering for various tissues including bone, retina, cartilage, vascular, adipose, and cardiac tissue. It provides an in-depth analysis of the latest findings and advancements in these areas, making it a valuable resource for researchers and professionals in these fields.

Development of biomedical hydrogels for rheumatoid arthritis treatment

Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disorder that hinders the normal functioning of bones and joints and reduces the quality of human life. Every year, millions of people are diagnosed with RA worldwide, particularly among elderly individuals and women. Therefore, there is a global need to develop new biomaterials, medicines and therapeutic methods for treating RA. This will improve the Healthcare Access and Quality Index and also relieve administrative and financial burdens on healthcare service providers at a global scale. Hydrogels are soft and cross-linked polymeric materials that can store a chunk of fluids, drugs and biomolecules for hydration and therapeutic applications. Hydrogels are biocompatible and exhibit excellent mechanical properties, such as providing elastic cushions to articulating joints by mimicking the natural synovial fluid. Hence, hydrogels create a natural biological environment within the synovial cavity to reduce autoimmune reactions and friction. Hydrogels also lubricate the articulating joint surfaces to prevent degradation of synovial surfaces of bones and cartilage, thus exhibiting high potential for treating RA. This work reviews the progress in injectable and implantable hydrogels, synthesis methods, types of drugs, advantages and challenges. Additionally, it discusses the role of hydrogels in targeted drug delivery, mechanistic behaviour and tribological performance for RA treatment.

Advances in tissue engineering of gellan gum-based hydrogels

Gellan Gum (GG) is a large, naturally occurring, linear polysaccharide with a similar structure and biological properties to the extracellular matrix. It's appropriate as a matrix material for the development of different composite materials due to its biocompatibility, biodegradability, and injectability. Hydrogels made from GG have found various applications in the field of Tissue Engineering (TE) in recent years after being mixed with a variety of other organic and inorganic components. These composites are considered multifunctional developing biomaterials because of their impressive mechanical capabilities, biocompatibility, low cytotoxicity, etc. This review focuses on the emerging advances of GG-based hydrogels in TE, providing an overview of the applications of different types of GG-based composite materials in bone TE, cartilage TE, nervous TE, retina TE, and other fields. Moreover, the investigations of GG-based hydrogels as bioink components for 3D bioprinting in TE will be elucidated. This review offers general guidance for the development of biomaterials related to GG, as well as ideas for future clinical diagnosis and treatment.

Injectable hydrogels: An emerging therapeutic strategy for cartilage regeneration

The impairment of articular cartilage due to traumatic incidents or osteoarthritis has posed significant challenges for healthcare practitioners, researchers, and individuals suffering from these conditions. Due to the absence of an approved treatment strategy for the complete restoration of cartilage defects to their native state, the tissue condition often deteriorates over time, leading to osteoarthritic (OA). However, recent advancements in the field of regenerative medicine have unveiled promising prospects through the utilization of injectable hydrogels. This versatile class of biomaterials, characterized by their ability to emulate the characteristics of native articular cartilage, offers the distinct advantage of minimally invasive administration directly to the site of damage. These hydrogels can also serve as ideal delivery vehicles for a diverse range of bioactive agents, including growth factors, anti-inflammatory drugs, steroids, and cells. The controlled release of such biologically active molecules from hydrogel scaffolds can accelerate cartilage healing, stimulate chondrogenesis, and modulate the inflammatory microenvironment to halt osteoarthritic progression. The present review aims to describe the methods used to design injectable hydrogels, expound upon their applications as delivery vehicles of biologically active molecules, and provide an update on recent advances in leveraging these delivery systems to foster articular cartilage regeneration.

Evaluation of Silk Fibroin/Gellan Gum Hydrogels with Controlled Molecular Weight through Silk Fibroin Hydrolysis for Tissue Engineering Application

Hydrogel is a versatile material that can be manipulated to achieve the desired physicochemical properties, such as stiffness, pore size, and viscoelasticity. Traditionally, these properties have been controlled through parameters such as concentration and pH adjustments. In this study, we focused on exploring the potential of hydrolyzed silk fibroin (HSF) as a molecular weight-modulating agent to control the physicochemical properties of double-composite hydrogels. We developed a synergistic dual-crosslinked hydrogel by combining ionically crosslinked silk fibroin with gellan gum (GG). The hydrolysis of silk fibroin not only enhanced its hydrophilicity but also enabled adjustments in its mechanical properties, including the pore size, initial modulus elasticity, and relaxation time. Moreover, biocompatibility assessments based on cell viability tests confirmed the potential of these hydrogels as biocompatible materials. By highlighting the significance of developing an HSF/GG dual-crosslinked hydrogel, this study contributes to the advancement of novel double-composite hydrogels with remarkable biocompatibility. Overall, our findings demonstrate the capability of controlling the mechanical properties of hydrogels through molecular weight modulation via hydrolysis and highlight the development of a biocompatible HSF/GG dual-crosslinked hydrogel with potential biomedical applications.

Alginate/acemannan-based beads loaded with a biocompatible ionic liquid as a bioactive delivery system

Combining biomacromolecules with green chemistry principles and clean technologies has proven to be an effective approach for drug delivery, providing a prolonged and sustained release of the encapsulated material. The current study investigates the potential of cholinium caffeate (Ch[Caffeate]), a phenolic-based biocompatible ionic liquid (Bio-IL) entrapped in alginate/acemannan beads, as a drug delivery system able to reduce local joint inflammation on osteoarthritis (OA) treatment. The synthesized Bio-IL has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory actions that, combined with biopolymers as 3D architectures, promote the entrapment and sustainable release of the bioactive molecules over time. The physicochemical and morphological characterization of the beads (ALC, ALAC0,5, ALAC1, and ALAC3, containing 0, 0.5, 1, and 3 %(w/v) of Ch[Caffeate], respectively) revealed a porous and interconnected structure, with medium pore sizes ranging from 209.16 to 221.30 μm, with a high swelling ability (up 2400 %). Ch[Caffeate] significantly improved the antioxidant activities of the constructs by 95 % and 97 % for ALAC1 and ALAC3, respectively, when compared to ALA (56 %). Besides, the structures provided the environment for ATDC5 cell proliferation, and cartilage-like ECM formation, supported by the increased GAGs in ALAC1 and ALAC3 formulations after 21 days. Further, the ability to block the secretion of pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α and IL-6), from differentiated THP-1 was evidenced by ChAL-Ch[Caffeate] beads. These outcomes suggest that the established strategy based on using natural and bioactive macromolecules to develop 3D constructs has great potential to be used as therapeutic tools for patients with OA.

Research progress of natural silk fibroin and the appplication for drug delivery in chemotherapies

Silk fibroin has been widely used in biological fields due to its biocompatibility, mechanical properties, biodegradability, and safety. Recently, silk fibroin as a drug carrier was developed rapidly and achieved remarkable progress in cancer treatment. The silk fibroin-based delivery system could effectively kill tumor cells without significant side effects and drug resistance. However, few studies have been reported on silk fibroin delivery systems for antitumor therapy. The advancement of silk fibroin-based drug delivery systems research and its applications in cancer therapy are highlighted in this study. The properties, applications, private opinions, and future prospects of silk fibroin carriers are discussed to understand better the development of anti-cancer drug delivery systems, which may also contribute to advancing silk fibroin innovation.

Advances of Hydrogel Therapy in Periodontal Regeneration-A Materials Perspective Review

Hydrogel, a functional polymer material, has emerged as a promising technology for therapies for periodontal diseases. It has the potential to mimic the extracellular matrix and provide suitable attachment sites and growth environments for periodontal cells, with high biocompatibility, water retention, and slow release. In this paper, we have summarized the main components of hydrogel in periodontal tissue regeneration and have discussed the primary construction strategies of hydrogels as a reference for future work. Hydrogels provide an ideal microenvironment for cells and play a significant role in periodontal tissue engineering. The development of intelligent and multifunctional hydrogels for periodontal tissue regeneration is essential for future research.

Silk fibroin/cholinium gallate-based architectures as therapeutic tools

The combination of natural resources with biologically active biocompatible ionic liquids (Bio-IL) is presented as a combinatorial approach for developing tools to manage inflammatory diseases. Innovative biomedical solutions were constructed combining silk fibroin (SF) and Ch[Gallate], a Bio-IL with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory features, as freeze-dried 3D-based sponges. An evaluation of the effect of the Ch[Gallate] concentration (≤3% w/v) on the SF/Ch[Gallate] sponges was studied. Structural changes observed on the sponges revealed that the Ch[Gallate] presence positively affected the β-sheet formation while not influencing the silk native structure, which was suggested by the FTIR and solid-state NMR results, respectively. Also, it was possible to modulate their mechanical properties, antioxidant activity and stability/degradation in an aqueous environment, by changing the Ch[Gallate] concentration. The architectures showed high water uptake ability and a weight loss that follows the controlled Ch[Gallate] release rate studied for 7 days. Furthermore, the sponges supported human adipose stem cells growth and proliferation, up to 7 days. TNF-α, IL-6 (pro-inflammatory) and IL-10 (anti-inflammatory) release quantification from a human monocyte cell line revealed a decrease in the pro-inflammatory cytokines concentrations in samples containing Ch[Gallate]. These outcomes encourage the use of the developed architectures as tissue engineering solutions, potentially targeting inflammation processes. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: Combining natural resources with active biocompatible ionic liquids (Bio-IL) is herein presented as a combinatorial approach for the development of tools to manage inflammatory diseases. We propose using silk fibroin (SF), a natural protein, with cholinium gallate, a Bio-IL, with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, to construct 3D-porous sponges through a sustainable methodology. The morphological features, swelling, and stability of the architectures were controlled by Bio-IL content in the matrices. The sponges were able to support human adipose stem cells growth and proliferation, and their therapeutic effect was proved by the blockage of TNF-α from activated and differentiated THP-1 monocytes. We believe that these bio-friendly and bioactive SF/Bio-IL-based sponges are effective for targeting pathologies with associated inflammatory processes.

Silk Fibroin Hydrogels Could Be Therapeutic Biomaterials for Neurological Diseases

Silk fibroin, a natural macromolecular protein without physiological activity, has been widely used in different fields, such as the regeneration of bones, cartilage, nerves, and other tissues. Due to irrevocable neuronal injury, the treatment and prognosis of neurological diseases need to be investigated. Despite attempts to propel neuroprotective therapeutic approaches, numerous attempts to translate effective therapies for brain disease have been largely unsuccessful. As a good candidate for biomedical applications, hydrogels based on silk fibroin effectively amplify their advantages. The ability of nerve tissue regeneration, inflammation regulation, the slow release of drugs, antioxidative stress, regulation of cell death, and hemostasis could lead to a new approach to treating neurological disorders. In this review, we introduced the preparation of SF hydrogels and then delineated the probable mechanism of silk fibroin in the treatment of neurological diseases. Finally, we showed the application of silk fibroin in neurological diseases.

Silk fibroin hydrogel containing Sesbania sesban L. extract for rheumatoid arthritis treatment

Purpose

Rheumatoid arthritis, a chronic and progressive inflammation condition in the joints, has significantly reduced the patient quality of life and life expectancy. Crucially, there is no complete therapy for this disease, and the current treatments possess numerous side effects. Thus, novel therapeutic approach is necessary. To that end, this study developed novel silk fibroin in-situ hydrogel containing Sesbania sesban L. extract, a plant with high anti-inflammatory actions that are beneficial for rheumatoid arthritis treatments.

Methods

The hydrogels were manufactured using simple method of spontaneous gelation at different temperature. The gel properties of morphology, gelation time, viscosity, gel strength, stability, drug loading capacity, drug release rate, and in-vitro anti-inflammatory activity were investigated with appropriate methods.

Results

The optimal formulation had highly porous structure, with a gelation time of 0.5 h at room temperature and bodily temperature of 37 °C, a viscosity of 2530 ± 50 cP, a gel strength of 1880.14 ± 35.10 g, and a physical stability of >6 months. Moreover, the hydrogel contained the Sesbania sesban L. leaf extract with a total phenolic content of 92.8 ± 8.30 mg GAE/g, and sustained the release rate for >20 dạys, followed the Higuchi model. Regarding the in-vitro activities, all formulations were nontoxic to the RAW 264.7 cell line and demonstrated comparable anti-inflammatory activity to the free extract, in terms of the NO reduction levels.

Conclusion

Conclusively, the systems possessed potential properties to be further investigated to become a prospective rheumatoid arthritis treatment.

Drug Delivery Strategies and Biomedical Significance of Hydrogels: Translational Considerations

Hydrogels are a promising and attractive option as polymeric gel networks, which have immensely fascinated researchers across the globe because of their outstanding characteristics such as elevated swellability, the permeability of oxygen at a high rate, good biocompatibility, easy loading, and drug release. Hydrogels have been extensively used for several purposes in the biomedical sector using versatile polymers of synthetic and natural origin. This review focuses on functional polymeric materials for the fabrication of hydrogels, evaluation of different parameters of biocompatibility and stability, and their application as carriers for drugs delivery, tissue engineering and other therapeutic purposes. The outcome of various studies on the use of hydrogels in different segments and how they have been appropriately altered in numerous ways to attain the desired targeted delivery of therapeutic agents is summarized. Patents and clinical trials conducted on hydrogel-based products, along with scale-up translation, are also mentioned in detail. Finally, the potential of the hydrogel in the biomedical sector is discussed, along with its further possibilities for improvement for the development of sophisticated smart hydrogels with pivotal biomedical functions.

Polymeric Hydrogels for Controlled Drug Delivery to Treat Arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and osteoarthritis (OA) are disabling musculoskeletal disorders that affect joints and cartilage and may lead to bone degeneration. Conventional delivery of anti-arthritic agents is limited due to short intra-articular half-life and toxicities. Innovations in polymer chemistry have led to advancements in hydrogel technology, offering a versatile drug delivery platform exhibiting tissue-like properties with tunable drug loading and high residence time properties This review discusses the advantages and drawbacks of polymeric materials along with their modifications as well as their applications for fabricating hydrogels loaded with therapeutic agents (small molecule drugs, immunotherapeutic agents, and cells). Emphasis is given to the biological potentialities of hydrogel hybrid systems/micro-and nanotechnology-integrated hydrogels as promising tools. Applications for facile tuning of therapeutic drug loading, maintaining long-term release, and consequently improving therapeutic outcome and patient compliance in arthritis are detailed. This review also suggests the advantages, challenges, and future perspectives of hydrogels loaded with anti-arthritic agents with high therapeutic potential that may alter the landscape of currently available arthritis treatment modalities.

Immunoengineering the next generation of arthritis therapies

Immunoengineering continues to revolutionize healthcare, generating new approaches for treating previously intractable diseases, particularly in regard to cancer immunotherapy. In joint diseases, such as osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA), biomaterials and anti-cytokine treatments have previously been at that forefront of therapeutic innovation. However, while many of the existing anti-cytokine treatments are successful for a subset of patients, these treatments can also pose severe risks, adverse events and off-target effects due to continuous delivery at high dosages or a lack of disease-specific targets. The inadequacy of these current treatments has motivated the development of new immunoengineering strategies that offer safer and more efficacious alternative therapies through the precise and controlled targeting of specific upstream immune responses, including direct and mechanistically-driven immunoengineering approaches. Advances in the understanding of the immunomodulatory pathways involved in musculoskeletal disease, in combination with the growing emphasis on personalized medicine, stress the need for carefully considering the delivery strategies and therapeutic targets when designing therapeutics to better treat RA and OA. Here, we focus on recent advances in biomaterial and cell-based immunomodulation, in combination with genetic engineering, for therapeutic applications in joint diseases. The application of immunoengineering principles to the study of joint disease will not only help to elucidate the mechanisms of disease pathogenesis but will also generate novel disease-specific therapeutics by harnessing cellular and biomaterial responses. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: It is now apparent that joint diseases such as osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis involve the immune system at both local (i.e., within the joint) and systemic levels. In this regard, targeting the immune system using both biomaterial-based or cellular approaches may generate new joint-specific treatment strategies that are well-controlled, safe, and efficacious. In this review, we focus on recent advances in immunoengineering that leverage biomaterials and/or genetically engineered cells for therapeutic applications in joint diseases. The application of such approaches, especially synergistic strategies that target multiple immunoregulatory pathways, has the potential to revolutionize our understanding, treatment, and prevention of joint diseases.

Selection and Incorporation of siRNA Carrying Non-Viral Vector for Sustained Delivery from Gellan Gum Hydrogels

The local controlled release of siRNA is an attractive and rational strategy to enhance and extend the effectiveness of gene therapy. Since naked and unmodified siRNA has a limited cell uptake and knockdown efficiency, the complexation of siRNA with non-viral carriers is often necessary for the delivery of bioactive RNA. We evaluated the performance of three different non-viral siRNA carriers, including DOTAP lipoplexes (DL), chitosan polyplexes (CP), and solid lipid complexes (SLC). The physicochemical properties of the siRNA-nanocarriers were characterized by dynamic light scattering and gel electrophoresis. After in vitro characterization, the carrier with the most appropriate properties was found to be the DL suspension, which was subsequently loaded into a gellan gum hydrogel matrix and examined for its drug load, stability, and homogeneity. The hydrogels microstructure was investigated by rheology to assess the impact of the rheological properties on the release of the siRNA nanocarriers. A controlled release of complexed siRNA over 60 days in vitro was observed. By comparing the results from fluorescence imaging with data received from HPLC measurements, fluorescence imaging was found to be an appropriate tool to measure the release of siRNA complexes. Finally, the bioactivity of the siRNA released from hydrogel was tested and compared to free DL for its ability to knockdown the GFP expression in a DLD1 colon cancer cell model. The results indicate controlled release properties and activity of the released siRNA. In conclusion, the developed formulation is a promising system to provide local controlled release of siRNA over several weeks.

Bioengineered Nanoparticles Loaded-Hydrogels to Target TNF Alpha in Inflammatory Diseases

Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is an incurable autoimmune disease that promotes the chronic impairment of patients’ mobility. For this reason, it is vital to develop therapies that target early inflammatory symptoms and act before permanent articular damage. The present study offers two novel therapies based in advanced drug delivery systems for RA treatment: encapsulated chondroitin sulfate modified poly(amidoamine) dendrimer nanoparticles (NPs) covalently bonded to monoclonal anti-TNF α antibody in both Tyramine-Gellan Gum and Tyramine-Gellan Gum/Silk Fibroin hydrogels. Using pro-inflammatory THP-1 (i.e., human monocytic cell line), the therapy was tested in an inflammation in vitro model under both static and dynamic conditions. Firstly, we demonstrated effective NP-antibody functionalization and TNF-α capture. Upon encapsulation, the NPs were released steadily over 21 days. Moreover, in static conditions, the approaches presented good anti-inflammatory activity over time, enabling the retainment of a high percentage of TNF α. To mimic the physiological conditions of the human body, the hydrogels were evaluated in a dual-chamber bioreactor. Dynamic in vitro studies showed absent cytotoxicity in THP-1 cells and a significant reduction of TNF-α in suspension over 14 days for both hydrogels. Thus, the developed approach showed potential for use as personalized medicine to obtain better therapeutic outcomes and decreased adverse effects.