A Molecular Thermodynamic Model for Restricted Swelling Behaviors of Thermo-sensitive Hydrogel

A molecular thermodynamic model was developed for describing the restricted swelling behavior of a thermosensitive hydrogel confined in a limited space. The Gibbs free energy includes two contributions, the contribution of mixing of polymer and solvent calculated by using the lattice model of random polymer solution, and the contribution due to the elasticity of polymer network. This model can accurately describe the swelling behavior of restricted hydrogels under uniaxial and biaxial constraints by using two model parameters. One is the interaction energy parameter between polymer network and solvent, and the other is the size parameter depending on the degree of cross-linking. The calculated results show that the swelling ratio reduces significantly and the phase transition temperature decreases slightly as the restricted degree increases, which agree well with the experimental data.

Simple and versatile in situ thermo-sensitive hydrogel for rectal administration of SZ-A to alleviate inflammation and repair mucosal barrier in ulcerative colitis

Ulcerative colitis(UC)is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease characterized by persistent inflammation of the colon and disrupted intestinal function.Ramulus mori(Sangzhi)alkaloids(SZ-A),derived from twigs of mulberry,were approved by the National Medical Products Administration in 2020 for treating type 2 diabetes mellitus.Accumulated evidence has confirmed that SZ-A also alleviates non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and ameliorates inflammation,indicating its potential to address inflammation in UC.However,the treatment of UC faces challenges due to low drug delivery efficiency and short retention time.To overcome these challenges,an injectable and adherent in-situ thermo-sensitive hydrogel containing SZ-A was developed for rectal drug delivery,utilizing the thermo-sensitive polymers Poloxamer 407and 188.The thermo-sensitive hydrogel system was designed with a moderate gelation temperature of 32±0.5℃,a short gelation time of 64 s,a p H range of 7-10,high moisturizing capability exceeding 90%,and moderate mechanical strength of 4-5 s.In a rat model with UC,the in situ thermo-sensitive hydrogel significantly extended the retention time at the colonic site and enabled sustained release after rectal administration.Symptoms of UC were markedly reduced following rectal administration of SZ-A thermosensitive hydrogel.Furthermore,the release of inflammatory factors,such as interleukin-1β(IL-1β),IL-6,IL-18,tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α),and transforming growth factor-β1(TGF-β1),significantly decreased in the SZ-A thermo-sensitive hydrogel group.The integrity of the colonic mucosal barrier was significantly enhanced following the application of SZ-A thermo-sensitive hydrogel.In conclusion,rectal administration of SZ-A in situ thermo-sensitive hydrogel effectively alleviated UC symptoms,inhibited the secretion of inflammatory factors,and promoted the repair of the colonic mucosal barrier.This approach holds promise as a potential treatment for UC.

Intravesical chemotherapy synergize with an immune adjuvant by a thermo-sensitive hydrogel system for bladder cancer

Surgical resection remains the prefer option for bladder cancer treatment.However,the effectiveness of surgery is usually limited for the high recurrence rate and poor prognosis.Consequently,intravesical chemotherapy synergize with immunotherapy in situ is an attractive way to improve therapeutic effect.Herein,a combined strategy based on thermo-sensitive PLEL hydrogel drug delivery system was developed.GEM loaded PLEL hydrogel was intravesical instilled to kill tumor cells directly,then PLEL hydrogel incorporated with CpG was injected into both groins subcutaneously to promote immune responses synergize with GEM.The results demonstrated that drug loaded PLEL hydrogel had a sol-gel phase transition behavior in response to physiological temperature and presented sustained drug release,and the PLEL-assisted combination therapy could have better tumor suppression effect and stronger immunostimulating effect in vivo.Hence,this combined treatment with PLEL hydrogel system has great potential and suggests a clinically-relevant and valuable option for bladder cancer.

Injectable thermo-sensitive hydrogel enhances anti-tumor potency of engineered Lactococcus lactis by activating dendritic cells and effective memory T cells

Engineered bacteria have shown great potential in cancer immunotherapy by dynamically releasing therapeutic payloads and inducing sustained antitumor immune response with the crosstalk of immune cells.In previous studies,FOLactis was designed,which could secret an encoded fusion protein of Fms-related tyrosine kinase 3 ligand and co-stimulator OX40 ligand,leading to remarkable tumor suppression and exerting an abscopal effect by intratumoral injection.However,it is difficult for intratumoral administration of FOLactis in solid tumors with firm texture or high internal pressure.For patients without lesions such as abdominal metastatic tumors and orthotopic gastric tumors,intratumoral injection is not feasible and peritumoral maybe a better choice.Herein,an engineered bacteria delivery system is constructed based on in situ temperature-sensitive poloxamer 407 hydrogels.Peritumoral injection of FOLactis/P407 results in a 5-fold increase in the proportion of activated DC cells and a more than 2-fold increase in the proportion of effective memory T cells(TEM),playing the role of artificial lymph island.Besides,administration of FOLactis/P407 significantly inhibits the growth of abdominal metastatic tumors and orthotopic gastric tumors,resulting in an extended survival time.Therefore,these findings demonstrate the delivery approach of engineered bacteria based on in situ hydrogel will promote the efficacy and universality of therapeutics.

Sustained co-delivery of 5-fluorouracil and cis-platinum via biodegradable thermo-sensitive hydrogel for intraoperative synergistic combination chemotherapy of gastric cancer

Gastric cancer is the fifth most common cancer and the third leading cause of cancer death worldwide,posing a severe threat to human health.Surgical resection remains the most preferred option for gastric cancer treatment.However,for advanced gastric cancer,the curative effect of surgical resection is usually limited by the local recurrence,peritoneal carcinomatosis,or distal metastasis.Intraoperative chemotherapy is an attractive in situ adjuvant treatment strategy to reduce the recurrence and metastasis after surgical resection.Here,we designed a 5-fluorouracil(5-FU)and cis-platinum(DDP)co-delivery system based on a biodegradable temperature-sensitive hydrogel(PDLLA-PEG-PDLLA,PLEL)for intraoperative adjuvant combination chemotherapy of gastric cancer.This 5-FU+DDP/PLEL hydrogel system characterized by a special sol-gel phase transition in response to physiological temperature and presented sustained drug release in vitro and in vivo.A strong synergistic cell proliferation inhibition and apoptosis promotion of 5-FU+DDP/PLEL were observed against gastric cancer MKN45-luc cells.After intraperitoneal injection,the dual-drug loaded hydrogel formulation showed superior anti-tumor effects than the single-drug carrying hydrogels and combination of free 5-FU and DDP on the gastric cancer peritoneal carcinomatosis model.The use of hydrogel for dual-drug delivery had benefited to fewer side effects as well.What’s more,we established a mouse model for postsurgical residual tumors and peritoneal carcinomatosis of gastric cancer,in which the intraoperative administration of 5-FU+DDP/PLEL also remarkably inhibited the local recurrence of the orthotopic tumors and the growth of the abdominal metastatic tumors,resulting in an extended lifetime.Hence,this developed dual-drug loaded hydrogel system has great potential in the intraoperative chemotherapy of gastric cancer,that suggests a clinically-relevant and valuable option for postsurgical management of gastric cancer.

Local sustained release of PD-1 monoclonal antibody and lenvatinib by thermo-sensitive hydrogel for improving tumor immunotherapy

In clinic,the combination of intravenous pembrolizumab(PD-1 monoclonal antibody)with oral Lenvatinib(LEN)exhibited an enhanced synergistic benefit for cancer therapy.However,the clinical outcomes were always limited by the problems of inconsistent pharmacokinetic profiles of two drugs,lower drug accumulation in tumor and obvious side effects during the combination therapy.Here,in situ-forming thermosensitive hydrogels based on PLGA-PEG-PLGA triblock copolymers were prepared for local administration of anti-PD1 and LEN(P&L@Gel)to improve therapeutic efficacy and safety.After peritumoral or surgical resection site injection,the significant increased concentrations of both drugs in tumor were observed with the local sustained release of P&L@Gel.In comparison with the group of intraperitoneal anti-PD1 plus oral LEN(P-ip&L-po),significantly higher tumor inhibition efficiency on CT26 tumor models could be obtained in P&L@Gel group,even at the dose of one-eighth of the former,same tumorinhibition effects could be achieved.The enhanced antitumor efficacy of P&L@Gel group was probably associated with the 2.2 folds of increased level of CD8+T cells and the polarization of tumor associated macrophage from M2 to M1 along with the increased drug accumulation.Moreover,compared with the obvious side effects of P-ip&L-po group,no significant changes of PLT,ALT and UA in blood,as well as IL-1αand IL-1βin mice paws were observed between P&L@Gel group and untreated group.These results suggested that local administration of anti-PD1 and LEN with thermosensitive hydrogel could offer a potential strategy for tumors or tumor postoperative adjuvant treatment.

Controlled release behaviors of chitosan/α,β- glycerophosphate thermo-sensitive hydrogels

Chitosan/α,β-glycerophosphate （CS/α,β-GP） thermo-sensitive hydrogels presented flowable solution state at low temperature and semisolid hydrogel when the ambient temperature increased. In this research, different concentrations of metronida- zole encapsulated, CS and α,β-GP, as well as different acid solvents, were chosen to evaluate their influences on the drug release behaviors from CS/α,β-GP hydrogels. It was found that there was a sustaining release during the first 3 h followed by a plateau. SEM images showed that drugs were located both on the surface and in the interior of hydrogels. The optimal preparation conditions of this hydrogel for drug release were as follows： 1.8% （w/v） CS in HAc solvent, 5.6% （w/v） a, 13-GP and 5g/L metronidazole encapsulation. Cytotoxicity evaluation found no toxic effect. In order to control the release rate, 2.5 g/L chitosan microspheres with spherical shape and smooth surface were incorporated, and it was found that the initial release process was alleviated, while drug concentration had no obvious effect on the release rate. It could be concluded that the metronidzole release behaviors could be optimized according to practical applica- tions.

A novel positively thermo-sensitive hydrogel based on ethylenediaminetetraacetic dianhydride and piperazine:Design,synthesis and characterization

A new positively thermo-sensitive hydrogel was designed and synthesized by a condensation polymerization reaction of ethylenediaminetetraacetic dianhydride（EDTAD） and piperazine（PA） to give poly（ethylenediaminetetraacetic dianhydride-copiperazine） （PEP）.The obtained polymers＇ structure was characterized by FTIR and ^（13）C NMR.The backbone of the polymer linked by amide bond and abundant of carboxyl groups as pendant group could form strong intermolecular and intramolecular hydrogen bond at lower temperature and dissociate at higher temperature,resulting in the polymer with thermo-sensitivity.The aqueous solution of PEP at lower temperature（〈20℃） showed micro-gel formation and transformed to transparent solution at higher temperature（〉40℃）.Transition temperature shifted to higher value with the increasing of concentration.The hydrogel exhibited reversible phase transition and the transmittance change was not weakened by multiple temperature changes.

Sustained co-delivery of gemcitabine and cis-platinum via biodegradable thermo-sensitive hydrogel for synergistic combination therapy of pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic cancer is one of the most devastating cancers with poor prognosis and no significant change in the survival rate over the past decades.Localized targeted drug delivery through interventional endoscopic ultrasonography-guided fine-needle injection (EUS-FNI) is an attractive and minimally invasive strategy for inoperable pancreatic cancer.An injectable in-situ formed long-lasting drug delivery system is a promising alternative for the localized treatment of pancreatic cancer via EUS-FNI.Here,a biodegradable thermo-sensitive copolymer hydrogel for the co-delivery of anticancer agents gemcitabine (GEM) and cis-platinum (DDP) was developed.This hydrogel is a free flowable liquid at room temperature that changes into a semi-solid hydrogel following injection in response to the physiological temperature.Both in vitro and in vivo drug release behaviors indicate sustained drug release of this delivery system.Synergistic cellular proliferation inhibition and desirable apoptosis promotion have been found when pancreatic cancer Bxpc-3 cells were co-cultured with this GEM-DDP/hydrogel system.After a single intratumoral injection,the dual-drug loaded hydrogel formulation exhibited superior anti-tumor efficacy and minimized systemic side effect on pancreatic cancer xenograft mouse model in comparison to the intravenously injected free GEM and DDP combination.In addition,a strong synergistic therapeutic effect of the GEM-DDP/hydrogel system against pancreatic cancer has been found in vitro and in vivo compared to the single-drug loaded hydrogel composites.The obtained findings suggest this developed thermo-sensitive copolymer hydrogel system as a potential universal carrier for the localized targeted delivery of multi-drugs,for use in a variety of inoperable solid tumors.

An Environment‑Tolerant Ion‑Conducting Double‑Network Composite Hydrogel for High‑Performance Flexible Electronic Devices

High-performance ion-conducting hydrogels(ICHs)are vital for developing flexible electronic devices.However,the robustness and ion-conducting behavior of ICHs deteriorate at extreme tempera-tures,hampering their use in soft electronics.To resolve these issues,a method involving freeze–thawing and ionizing radiation technology is reported herein for synthesizing a novel double-network(DN)ICH based on a poly(ionic liquid)/MXene/poly(vinyl alcohol)(PMP DN ICH)system.The well-designed ICH exhibits outstanding ionic conductivity(63.89 mS cm^(-1) at 25℃),excellent temperature resistance(-60–80℃),prolonged stability(30 d at ambient temperature),high oxidation resist-ance,remarkable antibacterial activity,decent mechanical performance,and adhesion.Additionally,the ICH performs effectively in a flexible wireless strain sensor,thermal sensor,all-solid-state supercapacitor,and single-electrode triboelectric nanogenerator,thereby highlighting its viability in constructing soft electronic devices.The highly integrated gel structure endows these flexible electronic devices with stable,reliable signal output performance.In particular,the all-solid-state supercapacitor containing the PMP DN ICH electrolyte exhibits a high areal specific capacitance of 253.38 mF cm^(-2)(current density,1 mA cm^(-2))and excellent environmental adaptability.This study paves the way for the design and fabrication of high-performance mul-tifunctional/flexible ICHs for wearable sensing,energy-storage,and energy-harvesting applications.

Ionization Engineering of Hydrogels Enables Highly Efficient Salt‑Impeded Solar Evaporation and Night‑Time Electricity Harvesting

Interfacial solar evaporation holds immense potential for brine desalination with low carbon footprints and high energy utilization.Hydrogels,as a tunable material platform from the molecular level to the macroscopic scale,have been considered the most promising candidate for solar evaporation.However,the simultaneous achievement of high evaporation efficiency and satisfactory tolerance to salt ions in brine remains a challenging scientific bottleneck,restricting the widespread application.Herein,we report ionization engineering,which endows polymer chains of hydrogels with electronegativity for impeding salt ions and activating water molecules,fundamentally overcoming the hydrogel salt-impeded challenge and dramatically expediting water evaporating in brine.The sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate-modified carbon black is chosen as the solar absorbers.The hydrogel reaches a ground-breaking evaporation rate of 2.9 kg m−2 h−1 in 20 wt%brine with 95.6%efficiency under one sun irradiation,surpassing most of the reported literature.More notably,such a hydrogel-based evaporator enables extracting clean water from oversaturated salt solutions and maintains durability under different high-strength deformation or a 15-day continuous operation.Meantime,on the basis of the cation selectivity induced by the electronegativity,we first propose an all-day system that evaporates during the day and generates salinity-gradient electricity using waste-evaporated brine at night,anticipating pioneer a new opportunity for all-day resource-generating systems in fields of freshwater and electricity.

Nanozyme‑Engineered Hydrogels for Anti‑Inflammation and Skin Regeneration

Inflammatory skin disorders can cause chronic scarring and functional impairments,posing a significant burden on patients and the healthcare system.Conventional therapies,such as corticosteroids and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs,are limited in efficacy and associated with adverse effects.Recently,nanozyme(NZ)-based hydrogels have shown great promise in addressing these challenges.NZ-based hydrogels possess unique therapeutic abilities by combining the therapeutic benefits of redox nanomaterials with enzymatic activity and the water-retaining capacity of hydrogels.The multifaceted therapeutic effects of these hydrogels include scavenging reactive oxygen species and other inflammatory mediators modulating immune responses toward a pro-regenerative environment and enhancing regenerative potential by triggering cell migration and differentiation.This review highlights the current state of the art in NZ-engineered hydrogels(NZ@hydrogels)for anti-inflammatory and skin regeneration applications.It also discusses the underlying chemo-mechano-biological mechanisms behind their effectiveness.Additionally,the challenges and future directions in this ground,particularly their clinical translation,are addressed.The insights provided in this review can aid in the design and engineering of novel NZ-based hydrogels,offering new possibilities for targeted and personalized skin-care therapies.

In Situ Deposition of Drug and Gene Nanoparticles on a Patterned Supramolecular Hydrogel to Construct a Directionally Osteochondral Plug

The integrated repair of bone and cartilage boasts advantages for osteochondral restoration such as a long-term repair effect and less deterioration compared to repairing cartilage alone.Constructing multifactorial,spatially oriented scaffolds to stimulate osteochondral regeneration,has immense significance.Herein,targeted drugs,namely kartogenin@polydopamine(KGN@PDA)nanoparticles for cartilage repair and miRNA@calcium phosphate(miRNA@CaP)NPs for bone regeneration,were in situ deposited on a patterned supramolecular-assembled 2-ureido-4[lH]-pyrimidinone(UPy)modified gelation hydrogel film,facilitated by the dynamic and responsive coordination and complexation of metal ions and their ligands.This hydrogel film can be rolled into a cylindrical plug,mimicking the Haversian canal structure of natural bone.The resultant hydrogel demonstrates stable mechanical properties,a self-healing ability,a high capability for reactive oxygen species capture,and controlled release of KGN and miR-26a.In vitro,KGN@PDA and miRNA@CaP promote chondrogenic and osteogenic differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells via the JNK/RUNX1 and GSK-3β/β-catenin pathways,respectively.In vivo,the osteochondral plug exhibits optimal subchondral bone and cartilage regeneration,evidenced by a significant increase in glycosaminoglycan and collagen accumulation in specific zones,along with the successful integration of neocartilage with subchondral bone.This biomaterial delivery approach represents a significant toward improved osteochondral repair.

Biomass-enhanced Janus sponge-like hydrogel with salt resistance and highstrength for efficient solar desalination

Interfacial solar-driven evaporation technology shows great potential in the field of industrial seawater desalination, and the development ofefficient and low-cost evaporation materials is key to achieving large-scale applications. Hydrogels are considered to be promising candidates;however, conventional hydrogel-based interfacial solar evaporators have difficulty in simultaneously meeting multiple requirements, including ahigh evaporation rate, salt resistance, and good mechanical properties. In this study, a Janus sponge-like hydrogel solar evaporator (CPAS) withexcellent comprehensive performance was successfully constructed. The introduction of biomass agar (AG) into the polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)hydrogel backbone reduced the enthalpy of water evaporation, optimized the pore structure, and improved the mechanical properties. Meanwhile, by introducing hydrophobic fumed nano-silica aerogel (SA) and a synergistic foaming-crosslinking process, the hydrogel spontaneouslyformed a Janus structure with a hydrophobic surface and hydrophilic bottom properties. Based on the reduction of the evaporation enthalpy andthe modulation of the pore structure, the CPAS evaporation rate reached 3.56 kg m^(-2) h^(-1) under one sun illumination. Most importantly, owingto the hydrophobic top surface and 3D-interconnected porous channels, the evaporator could work stably in high concentrations of salt-water(25 wt% NaCl), showing strong salt resistance. Efficient water evaporation, excellent salt resistance, scalable preparation processes, and low-costraw materials make CPAS extremely promising for practical applications.

A Generic Strategy to Create Mechanically Interlocked Nanocomposite/Hydrogel Hybrid Electrodes for Epidermal Electronics

Stretchable electronics are crucial enablers for next-generation wearables intimately integrated into the human body.As the primary compliant conductors used in these devices,metallic nanostructure/elastomer composites often struggle to form conformal contact with the textured skin.Hybrid electrodes have been consequently developed based on conductive nanocomposite and soft hydrogels to establish seamless skin-device interfaces.However,chemical modifications are typically needed for reliable bonding,which can alter their original properties.To overcome this limitation,this study presents a facile fabrication approach for mechanically interlocked nanocomposite/hydrogel hybrid electrodes.In this physical process,soft microfoams are thermally laminated on silver nanowire nanocomposites as a porous interface,which forms an interpenetrating network with the hydrogel.The microfoam-enabled bonding strategy is generally compatible with various polymers.The resulting interlocked hybrids have a 28-fold improved interfacial toughness compared to directly stacked hybrids.These electrodes achieve firm attachment to the skin and low contact impedance using tissue-adhesive hydrogels.They have been successfully integrated into an epidermal sleeve to distinguish hand gestures by sensing mus-cle contractions.Interlocked nanocomposite/hydrogel hybrids reported here offer a promising platform to combine the benefits of both materials for epidermal devices and systems.

Mechanical reliable,NIR light-induced rapid self-healing hydrogel electrolyte towards flexible zinc-ion hybrid supercapacitors with low-temperature adaptability and long service life

Hydrogel electrolytes hold great potential in flexible zinc ion supercapacitors(ZICs)due to their high conductivity,good safety,and flexibility.However,freezing of electrolytes at low temperature(subzero)leads to drastic reduction in ionic conductivity and mechanical properties that deteriorates the performance of flexible ZICs.Besides,the mechanical fracture during arbitrary deformations significantly prunes out the lifespan of the flexible device.Herein,a Zn^(2+)and Li^(+)co-doped,polypyrrole-dopamine decorated Sb_(2)S_(3)incorporated,and polyvinyl alcohol/poly(N-(2-hydroxyethyl)acrylamide)double-network hydrogel electrolyte is constructed with favorable mechanical reliability,anti-freezing,and self-healing ability.In addition,it delivers ultra-high ionic conductivity of 8.6 and 3.7 S m^(-1)at 20 and−30°C,respectively,and displays excellent mechanical properties to withstand tensile stress of 1.85 MPa with tensile elongation of 760%,together with fracture energy of 5.14 MJ m^(-3).Notably,the fractured hydrogel electrolyte can recover itself after only 90 s of infrared illumination,while regaining 83%of its tensile strain and almost 100%of its ionic conductivity during−30–60°C.Moreover,ZICs coupled with this hydrogel electrolyte not only show a wide voltage window(up to 2 V),but also provide high energy density of 230 Wh kg^(-1)at power density of 500 W kg^(-1)with a capacity retention of 86.7%after 20,000 cycles under 20°C.Furthermore,the ZICs are able to retain excellent capacity even under various mechanical deformation at−30°C.This contribution will open up new insights into design of advanced wearable flexible electronics with environmental adaptability and long-life span.

Reconstruction of Postinfarcted Cardiac Functions Through Injection of Tanshinone ⅡA@Reactive Oxygen Species-Sensitive Microspheres Encapsulated in a Thermoreversible Hydrogel

Myocardial damage resulting from acute myocardial infarction often leads to progressive heart failure and sudden death,highlighting the urgent clinical need for effective therapies.Recently,tanshinoneⅡA has been identified as a promising therapeutic agent for myocardial infarction.However,efficient delivery remains a major issue that limits clinical translation.To address this problem,an injectable thermosensitive poly(lactic acid-co-glycolic acid)-block-poly(ethylene glycol)-block-poly(lactic acid-co-glycolic acid)gel(PLGA-PEG-PLGA)system encapsulating tanshinoneⅡA-loaded reactive oxygen species-sensitive microspheres(Gel-MS/tanshinoneⅡA)has been designed and synthesized in this study.The thermosensitive hydrogel exhibits good mechanical properties after reaching body temperature.Microspheres initially immobilized by the gel exhibit excellent reactive oxygen species-triggered release properties in a high-reactive oxygen species environment after myocardial infarction onset.As a result,encapsulated tanshinoneⅡA is effectively released into the infarcted myocardium,where it exerts local anti-pyroptotic and anti-inflammatory effects.Importantly,the combined advantages of this technique contribute to the mitigation of left ventricular remodeling and the restoration of cardiac function following tanshinoneⅡA.Therefore,this novel,precision-guided intra-tissue therapeutic system allows for customized local release of tanshinoneⅡA,presenting a promising alternative treatment strategy aimed at inducing beneficial ventricular remodeling in the post-infarct heart.

A Polyvinyl Alcohol/Acrylamide Hydrogel with Enhanced Mechanical Properties Promotes Full-Thickness Skin Defect Healing by Regulating Immunomodulation and Angiogenesis Through Paracrine Secretion

Hydrogel-based tissue-engineered skin has attracted increased attention due to its potential to restore the structural integrity and functionality of skin.However,the mechanical properties of hydrogel scaffolds and natural skin are substantially different.Here,we developed a polyvinyl alcohol(PVA)/acrylamide based interpenetrating network(IPN)hydrogel that was surface modified with polydopamine(PDA)and termed Dopa-gel.The Dopa-gel exhibited mechanical properties similar to native skin tissue and a superior ability to modulate paracrine functions.Furthermore,a tough scaffold with tensile resistance was fabricated using this hydrogel by three-dimensional printing.The results showed that the interpenetration of PVA,alginate,and polyacrylamide networks notably enhanced the mechanical properties of the hydrogel.Surface modification with PDA endowed the hydrogels with increased secretion of immunomodulatory and proangiogenic factors.In an in vivo model,Dopa-gel treatment accelerated wound closure,increased vascularization,and promoted a shift in macrophages from a proinflammatory M1 phenotype to a prohealing and anti-inflammatory M2 phenotype within the wound area.Mechanistically,the focal adhesion kinase(FAK)/extracellular signal-related kinase(ERK)signaling pathway may mediate the promotion of skin defect healing by increasing paracrine secretion via the Dopa-gel.Additionally,proangiogenic factors can be induced through Rho-associated kinase-2(ROCK-2)/vascular endothelial growth factor(VEGF)-mediated paracrine secretion under tensile stress conditions.Taken together,these findings suggest that the multifunctional Dopa-gel,which has good mechanical properties similar to those of native skin tissue and enhanced immunomodulatory and angiogenic properties,is a promising scaffold for skin tissue regeneration.

Hydrogel loaded with bone marrow stromal cell-derived exosomes promotes bone regeneration by inhibiting inflammatory responses and angiogenesis

BACKGROUND Bone healing is a complex process involving early inflammatory immune regu-lation,angiogenesis,osteogenic differentiation,and biomineralization.Fracture repair poses challenges for orthopedic surgeons,necessitating the search for efficient healing methods.AIM To investigate the underlying mechanism by which hydrogel-loaded exosomes derived from bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells(BMSCs)facilitate the process of fracture healing.METHODS Hydrogels and loaded BMSC-derived exosome(BMSC-exo)gels were charac-terized to validate their properties.In vitro evaluations were conducted to assess the impact of hydrogels on various stages of the healing process.Hydrogels could recruit macrophages and inhibit inflammatory responses,enhance of human umbilical vein endothelial cell angiogenesis,and promote the osteogenic differen-tiation of primary cranial osteoblasts.Furthermore,the effect of hydrogel on fracture healing was confirmed using a mouse fracture model.RESULTS The hydrogel effectively attenuated the inflammatory response during the initial repair stage and subsequently facilitated vascular migration,promoted the formation of large vessels,and enabled functional vascularization during bone repair.These effects were further validated in fracture models.CONCLUSION We successfully fabricated a hydrogel loaded with BMSC-exo that modulates macrophage polarization and angiogenesis to influence bone regeneration.

Synthesis and biocompatibility of a biodegradable and functionalizable thermo-sensitive hydrogel

Injectable thermal gels are a useful tool for drug delivery and tissue engineering.However,most thermal gels do not solidify rapidly at body temperature(37C).We addressed this by synthesizing a thermo-sensitive,rapidly biodegrading hydrogel.Our hydrogel,poly(ethylene glycol)-co-poly(propanol serinate hexamethylene urethane)(EPSHU),is an ABA block copolymer comprising A,methoxy poly ethylene glycol group and B,poly(propanol L-serinate hexamethylene urethane).EPSHU was characterized by gel permeation chromatography for molecular weight and 1H NMR and Fourier transformed infrared for structure.Rheological studies measured the phase transition temperature.In vitro degradation in cholesterol esterase and in Dulbecco’s phosphate buffered saline(DPBS)was tracked using the average molecular weight measured by gel permeation chromatography.LIVE/DEAD and resazurin reduction assays performed on NIH 3T3 fibroblasts exposed to EPSHU extracts demonstrated no cytotoxicity.Subcutaneous implantation into BALB/cJ mice indicated good biocompatibility in vivo.The biodegradability and biocompatibility of EPSHU together make it a promising candidate for drug delivery applications that demand carrier gel degradation withinmonths.