Cross-linker-free sodium alginate and gelatin hydrogels: a multiscale biomaterial design framework

Abstract

Surface functionalization and cross-linking have been adopted extensively by researchers to customize hydrogel properties, especially in the last decade. The clinical translation of such biomaterials is in a poor state...

A review on the synthesis and development of alginate hydrogels for wound therapy

“…The hydrogels prepared by adding other polymer materials into sodium alginate can retain the advantages of sodium alginate hydrogels, and obtain the advantages of other polymer hydrogels to compensate for their defects. 37 Additives used in current research include polylactic acid, 38 chitin, 39 pectin, 40 polyvinyl pyrrolidone, 41 polyvinyl alcohol, 42,43 chitosan, 44 gelatin, 45–47 polyethylene glycol, 48 hyaluronic acid, 49 and others. The addition of other matrix materials can reduce the difficulty of modifying alginate hydrogels, thus reducing costs.…”

3D bioprinting of a gradient stiffened gelatin–alginate hydrogel with adipose-derived stem cells for full-thickness skin regeneration

“…[27][28][29] The introduction of gelatin forms a semi-interpenetrating network with sodium alginate, which provides cell adhesion sites that facilitate cell-hydrogel interactions. 30 More importantly, the secondary covalent cross-linking between the alginic acid backbone and divalent cations endows them with tunable structure and stiffness, which broadens their wide applications in different tissue engineering fields. 31 In this study, we optimized the constitution of gelatinsodium alginate hydrogels (GAH) as 3D bioprinting inks and constructed macroporous scaffolds with gradient stiffness (GSH) in the vertical direction, which is referred to the progressive cross-linking of calcium ions with alginate to mimic the original dermis and subcutaneous tissue (Fig.…”

DNA-Crosslinked Alginate Hydrogels: Characterization, Microparticle Development, and Applications in Forensic Science

“…15,16 has even demonstrated the potential of hydrogels to be developed without the use of traditional crosslinkers, where hydrogel polymerization is controlled via physical forces such as hydrogen bonding and electrostatic interactions while retaining similar properties to crosslinked hydrogels. 17 Hydrogels can incorporate a variety of crosslinkers including deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA). DNA-based hydrogels are an emerging and attractive option for polymer materials primarily due to the predictable and base-specific binding of DNA.…”

“…The COOH moieties are one of the main sources of covalent crosslinking of alginate, where typical crosslinking can be achieved through incorporation of photoionizable groups, − click chemistry, carbodiimide chemistry, , or through esterification reactions with alcohol- or alkyl halide-functionalized groups . Other types of crosslinking include ionic and pH-induced crosslinking but are often not used in biomaterial development due to properties such as gel instability and lack of stiffness when compared to covalently crosslinked materials. , Recent work has even demonstrated the potential of hydrogels to be developed without the use of traditional crosslinkers, where hydrogel polymerization is controlled via physical forces such as hydrogen bonding and electrostatic interactions while retaining similar properties to crosslinked hydrogels …”