Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Eva Mueller, Fei Xu, Todd Hoare
Summary: This study demonstrates the 3D printing of hydrazone-crosslinked POEGMA hydrogels using the FRESH technique and a low-cost extrusion bioprinter. The dynamic nature of the hydrazone cross-links allows for the reconfiguration of the gel structure and maintains the degradability of the scaffold. Moreover, the POEGMA hydrogels support cell adhesion and viability.
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Nicole E. Friend, Atticus J. McCoy, Jan P. Stegemann, Andrew J. Putnam
Summary: The formation of functional capillary blood vessels in engineered tissues remains a challenge. In this study, researchers investigated the effects of matrix properties on vessel network formation using PEG hydrogels. By varying the crosslinking ratio and incorporating cleavage sites, they found that reducing crosslinking or increasing degradability promoted vascularization and cell-mediated stiffening. These findings highlight the importance of cell-mediated remodeling for rapid vessel formation.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Benjamin R. Nelson, Bruce E. Kirkpatrick, Connor E. Miksch, Matthew D. Davidson, Nathaniel P. Skillin, Grace K. Hach, Alex Khang, Sydney N. Hummel, Benjamin D. Fairbanks, Jason A. Burdick, Christopher N. Bowman, Kristi S. Anseth
Summary: Researchers have developed a viscoelastic hydrogel with adaptable crosslinks to mimic time and position-dependent processes in tissues. By using 1,2-dithiolanes as dynamic covalent photocrosslinkers, the hydrogel can respond to multiple stimuli. Cell encapsulation is achieved through ligand-accelerated dithiolane ring-opening photopolymerization, enabling the study of 2D and 3D cell-material interactions.
ADVANCED MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Applied
Penghui Wang, Yajie Pu, Yanhan Ren, Rong Yang, Wenjie Zhang, Xiaoyan Tan, Wenliang Xue, Shuai Liu, Shuang Li, Bo Chi
Summary: This research introduces a novel hybrid hydrogel system based on sodium alginate and polyglutamic acid, with adjustable gelation time and mechanical strength, prolonged degradation time and reduced swelling rate, dynamic response characteristics, excellent self-healing and injectable ability. The system shows positive cytocompatibility and accelerated regulatory gene expression in cartilage tissue, indicating broad application prospects in future biomedical engineering.
CARBOHYDRATE POLYMERS
(2022)
Article
Polymer Science
Andrew Chung, Burak Tavsanli, Elizabeth R. Gillies
Summary: Hydrogels have diverse applications, and OPF has attracted attention for its tunable degradation. By introducing protected amines into OPF, the degradation rate can be controlled by triggering the cleavage of the polymer backbone. This approach can be applied to other stimuli, providing a versatile method to control OPF degradation.
EUROPEAN POLYMER JOURNAL
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Ekkachai Martwong, Yvette Tran
Summary: The study reports on the synthesis and temperature-responsive properties of poly(PEGMA) hydrogel thin films. Surface-attached poly(PEGMA) hydrogel films were synthesized using a simple, versatile, and well-controlled thiol-ene click reaction method, with the transition temperature finely tunable by adjusting the number of PEG units. The LCST properties of the hydrogel films are not sensitive to salt, holding promise for applications in biology such as injectable hydrogels, drug delivery systems, microfluidic valves, and flow switches for biotechnologies.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Jinyoung Hwang, Phuong Le Thi, Simin Lee, Eun-Hye Park, Eunmi Lee, Eunmin Kim, Kiyuk Chang, Ki Dong Park
Summary: Although numerous poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-based bioadhesives have been developed and commercialized, their biocompatibility and bioactivity performances are generally lacking. To address these issues, chemically crosslinked gelatin-PEG adhesive hydrogels (GP) were designed through the enzymatic crosslinking reaction of horseradish peroxidase (HRP). The GP hydrogels exhibited adjustable mechanical and adhesive properties and effectively improved tissue adhesiveness and bioactivity. They also showed promising potential for hemostatic and wound healing treatments.
JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL AND ENGINEERING CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Polymer Science
Ionela Alice Podaru, Paul O. Stanescu, Raluca Ginghin, Stefania Stoleriu, Bogdan Tric, Raluca Somoghi, Mircea Teodorescu
Summary: This study investigates the synthesis and properties of nanocomposite hydrogels obtained by the aqueous solution free radical polymerization of N-vinylpyrrolidone (NVP) in the presence of Laponite XLG (XLG) as a crosslinker, and compares them with hydrogels prepared using conventional crosslinking agents. The results show that XLG is a better crosslinking agent than the conventional agent, leading to larger gel fractions and more homogeneous network hydrogels. Adding XLG as a second crosslinker significantly enhances the material properties.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Guodong Nian, Junsoo Kim, Xianyang Bao, Zhigang Suo
Summary: In this study, a novel method was developed to create hydrogels that are both swell-resistant and tough by densely entangling polymer chains at elevated temperatures and sparsely crosslinking them using UV light. This method is applicable to various synthetic and natural polymers and compatible with industrial processing technologies, opening doors to the development of sustainable and high-performance hydrogels.
ADVANCED MATERIALS
(2022)
Article
Materials Science, Biomaterials
Shuang Li, Dongyang Niu, Tuhe Shi, Wentao Yun, Shifeng Yan, Guohua Xu, Jingbo Yin
Summary: This study presents a novel design of injectable hydrogels via a Schiff base cross-linking reaction between adipic dihydrazide (ADH)-modified poly(L-glutamic acid) (PLGA-ADH) and benzaldehydeterminated poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG-CHO). The hydrogels showed good self-healing ability and biocompatibility with bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs), promoting BMSC proliferation and deposition of glycosaminoglycans and upregulating the expression of cartilage-specific genes. In a rat cartilage defect model, the hydrogels significantly promoted new cartilage formation, indicating their potential in cartilage tissue engineering.
ACS BIOMATERIALS SCIENCE & ENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Biomedical
Nathan R. Richbourg, Nicholas A. Peppas
Summary: Synthetic hydrogels are commonly used as artificial 3D environments for studying cell-environment interactions, but their representation of physical properties of biological tissues is limited. This study successfully decoupled stiffness and solute transport in hydrogels by manipulating four structural parameters of multi-arm PEG hydrogel formulations. The results suggest that this approach is validated and applicable for decoupling stiffness and solute transport in hydrogels, enabling precise hydrogel design for investigating cell-environment interactions.
Article
Engineering, Chemical
Bing Zhang, Chen Yang, Yingfei Zheng, Yonghong Wu, Chunfeng Song, Qingling Liu, Zhi Wang
Summary: Mixed matrix membranes (MMMs) prepared by incorporating Pebax polymers with 20 wt% PEG and 30 wt% NaY zeolite exhibited the maximum CO2/N2 selectivity of 107.9 and CO2 permeability of 172.6 Barrer. The designed membrane could directly enrich the concentration of CO2 from 15% to 96.7% in one step for CO2/N2 mixed gas.
JOURNAL OF MEMBRANE SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Polymer Science
Sohrab Rahmani, Mostafa Barzegar
Summary: In this study, dynamic amphiphilic hydrogels were successfully synthesized, showing suitable self-healing performance, pH-dependent degradation behavior, and improved thermal and mechanical properties.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Pawika Towongphaichayonte, Rangrong Yoksan
Summary: This study successfully fabricated polyelectrolyte complexes from mPEG-g-CTS and ALG, which could form fibrous network macrogels or spherical nanoparticles with different physicochemical properties depending on the mPEG chain length and weight ratios. These complexes have potential applications as carriers for functional food additives, drugs, and bioactive compounds.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL MACROMOLECULES
(2021)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Mathilde Grosjean, Edouard Girard, Audrey Bethry, Gregory Chagnon, Xavier Garric, Benjamin Nottelet
Summary: This study designed degradable bioadhesives based on PEG-PLA star-shaped hydrogels and investigated the performance of acrylate, methacrylate, and catechol functional copolymers as bioadhesive hydrogels. The results showed that these bioadhesives reached adhesion strength comparable to commercial glues and exhibited low cytotoxicity, indicating their potential as surgical adhesives.