Exploitation of unique biochemical and biophysical properties of marine organisms has led to the development of functional biomaterials for various biomedical applications. Recently, ascidians have received great attention, owing to their extraordinary properties such as strong underwater adhesion and rapid self-regeneration. Specific polypeptides containing 3,4,5-trihydroxyphenylalanine (TOPA) in the blood cells of ascidians are associated with such intrinsic properties generated through complex oxidative processes. In this study, a bioinspired hydrogel platform is developed, demonstrating versatile applicability for tissue engineering and drug delivery, by conjugating pyrogallol (PG) moiety resembling ascidian TOPA to hyaluronic acid (HA). The HA-PG conjugate can be rapidly crosslinked by dual modes of oxidative mechanisms using an oxidant or pH control, resulting in hydrogels with different mechanical and physical characteristics. The versatile utility of HA-PG hydrogels formed via different crosslinking mechanisms is tested for different biomedical platforms, including microparticles for sustained drug delivery and tissue adhesive for noninvasive cell transplantation. With extraordinarily fast and different routes of PG oxidation, ascidian-inspired HA-PG hydrogel system may provide a promising biomaterial platform for a wide range of biomedical applications.

Serotonin-conjugated hyaluronic acid hydrogel inspired by platelet coagulation provides a multifunctional hemostatic adhesive mediating highly effective hemostasis and preventing abnormal tissue adhesion.

Matrigel, a mouse tumor extracellular matrix protein mixture, is an indispensable component of most organoid tissue culture. However, it has limited the utility of organoids for drug development and regenerative medicine due to its tumor-derived origin, batch-to-batch variation, high cost, and safety issues. Here, we demonstrate that gastrointestinal tissue-derived extracellular matrix hydrogels are suitable substitutes for Matrigel in gastrointestinal organoid culture. We found that the development and function of gastric or intestinal organoids grown in tissue extracellular matrix hydrogels are comparable or often superior to those in Matrigel. In addition, gastrointestinal extracellular matrix hydrogels enabled long-term subculture and transplantation of organoids by providing gastrointestinal tissue-mimetic microenvironments. Tissue-specific and age-related extracellular matrix profiles that affect organoid development were also elucidated through proteomic analysis. Together, our results suggest that extracellular matrix hydrogels derived from decellularized gastrointestinal tissues are effective alternatives to the current gold standard, Matrigel, and produce organoids suitable for gastrointestinal disease modeling, drug development, and tissue regeneration.

Application of surface chemistry using bioactive compounds enables simple functionalization of tissue-engineering scaffolds for improved biocompatibility and regenerative efficacy. Recently, surface modifications using natural polyphenols have been reported to serve as efficient multifunctional coating; however, there has yet to be any comprehensive application in tissue engineering. Here, we report a simple, multifunctional surface modification using catechin, a phenolic compound with many biological functions, found primarily in plants, to potentiate the functionality of polymeric scaffolds for bone regeneration by stem cells. We found that catechin hydrate can be efficiently deposited on the surface of various substrates and can greatly increase hydrophilicity of the substrates. While identifying the chemical mechanisms regulating catechin surface coating, we found that catechin molecules can self-assemble into dimers via cation−π interactions. Interestingly, the intrinsic biochemical functions of catechin coating provided the polymer scaffolds with antioxidative and calcium-binding abilities, resulting in enhanced adhesion, proliferation, mineralization, and osteogenic differentiation of human adipose-derived stem cells (hADSCs). Ultimately, catechin-functionalized polymer nanofiber scaffolds significantly promoted in vivo bone formation by hADSC transplantation in a critical-sized calvarial bone defect. Our study demonstrates that catechin can provide a biocompatible, multifunctional, and cost-effective surface modification chemistry to produce functional scaffolds with improved tissue regenerative efficacy.

Injectable fillers mainly aim to augment tissue volume and correct wrinkles in cosmetic and plastic reconstructions. However, the development of long-lasting, injectable fillers with minimal complications of pain, toxicity, and displacement has been challenging because of the absence of reliable cross-linking chemistry. Here, we report a novel cross-linker-free injectable hydrogel formulated by autoxidation as a highly biocompatible, easily injectable, and long-term volumetrically stable filler agent. Self-cross-linkable hyaluronic acid (SC-HA) with gallol moieties could form a hydrogel via autoxidation of gallols in vivo without additional cross-linking agents. The gelation of SC-HA in situ after injection is accelerated by the self-production of oxygen species and endogenous peroxidase in vivo. The SC-HA filler does not require a high injection force, thus minimizing pain, bleeding, and tissue damage-associated complications. In addition, improved tissue adhesiveness of the SC-HA hydrogel by oxidized gallols (shear strength; 2 kPa) prevented displacement of the filler constructs from the injection site. The SC-HA filler retained its mechanical properties in vivo (600–700 Pa) for wrinkle correction and volumetric augmentation up to 1 year after injection. Overall, the performance of the SC-HA hydrogel as an injectable dermal filler was superior to that of commercially available, chemically cross-linked biphasic HA filler composites in terms of injectability, tissue adhesiveness, and long-term volumetric augmentation. Our injectable HA hydrogel with no need of cross-linkers provides a long-lasting filler that has clinical utility for cosmetic applications.