Biomimetic Nanofibrillar Hydrogel with Cell-Adaptable Network for Enhancing Cellular Mechanotransduction, Metabolic Energetics, and Bone Regeneration

Abstract

The natural extracellular matrix, with its heterogeneous structure, provides a stable and dynamic biophysical framework and biochemical signals to guide cellular behaviors. It is challenging but highly desirable to develop a synthetic matrix that emulates the heterogeneous fibrous structure with macroscopic stability and microscopical dynamics and contains inductive biochemical signals. Herein, we introduce a peptide fiber-reinforced hydrogel in which the stiff ß-sheet fiber functions as a multivalent cross-linker to enhance the hydrogel’s macroscopic stability. The dynamic imine cross-link between the peptide fiber and polymer network endows the hydrogel with a microscopically dynamic network. The obtained fibrillar nanocomposite hydrogel, with its cell-adaptable dynamic network, enhances cell–matrix and cell–cell interactions and therefore significantly promotes the mechanotransduction, metabolic energetics, and osteogenesis of encapsulated stem cells. Furthermore, the hydrogel can codeliver a fiber-attached inductive drug to further enhance osteogenesis and bone regeneration. We believe that our work provides valuable guidance for the design of cell-adaptive and bioactive biomaterials for therapeutic applications.

Multilevel Micronanoscale Texture Effects on Fly Wing Membrane–Water Droplet Interaction

“…An insect wing was taken from hoverflies in Henan, China, repelling the impacting free-falling raindrops like the other examples in Figure a, including lotus leaf surfaces, wheat leaves, cicada wing, filefish skin, springtail skin, duck feathers, seat on insect legs, torrent frog, and tree frog foot. , Those individual wetting states or combined wetting states are harnessed in multiple actual usage scenarios, including self-cleaning, anti-icing, antifogging, anticorrosion, controlling bioadhesion, cell capture, and water–oil separation. − …”

Resolving atomic-level dynamics and interactions of high molecular weight hyaluronic acid by multidimensional solid-state NMR

“…Engineered HMW-HA hydrogels provide a favorable microenvironment for cell growth, differentiation, and tissue formation 10,11 . It supports cell adhesion, migration, and nutrient exchange, mimicking the physiological conditions in vivo 12 . In biomedical applications, HMW-HA is used in tissue engineering, drug delivery, and wound healing therapies due to its biocompatibility, biodegradability, and regenerative properties 10,13 .…”

Degradation-Dependent Self-Release Hydrogel with over Three Months of Antioxidation and Anti-inflammation for Osteoporotic Bone Repair

“…Hydrogels possess a three-dimensional (3D) network similar to the bone extracellular matrix (ECM) as well as high loading capacity − and thus have been widely used for loading drugs to treat osteoporotic bone defects. , Unfortunately, since the mesh size of hydrogels is huge for the drug molecules, the loaded drugs are released easily, with the release cycles lasting as little as a few hours or days. − To overcome the diffusion-caused quick release, a size-assisted release strategy has recently been proposed, in which the drugs are encapsulated first in micro/nanoparticles after which the drug-containing micro/nanoparticles are loaded into the degradable hydrogels. , Owing to the “increased” size, the drug release can be controlled not mainly by the diffusion but by the degradation of hydrogels, thus prolonging the release cycle . For example, Li et al formed TPCD nanoparticles by self-assembly of the β-cyclodextrin conjugated with both antioxidative phenylboronic acid pinacol ester and anti-inflammatory Tempol and loaded them in the Poloxamer 407 hydrogel.…”