Poly(ethylene oxide)/Gelatin-Based Biphasic Photocrosslinkable Hydrogels of Tunable Morphology for Hepatic Progenitor Cell Encapsulation

Abstract

Macroporous hydrogels have great potential for biomedical applications. Liquid or gel-like pores were created in a photopolymerizable hydrogel by forming water-in-water emulsions upon mixing aqueous solutions of gelatin and a poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO)-based triblock copolymer. The copolymer constituted the continuous matrix, which dominated the mechanical properties of the hydrogel once photopolymerized. The gelatin constituted the dispersed phase, which created macropores in the hydrogel. The microstructures of the porous hydrogel were determined by the volume fraction of the gelatin phase. When volume fractions were close to 50 v%, free-standing hydrogels with interpenetrated morphology can be obtained thanks to the addition of a small amount of xanthan. The hydrogels displayed Young’s moduli ranging from 5 to 30 kPa. They have been found to be non-swellable and non-degradable in physiological conditions. Preliminary viability tests with hepatic progenitor cells embedded in monophasic PEO-based hydrogels showed rapid mortality of the cells, whereas encouraging viability was observed in PEO-based triblock copolymer/gelatin macroporous hydrogels. The latter has the potential to be used in cell therapy.

MXene, protein, and KCl-assisted ionic conductive hydrogels with excellent anti-freezing capabilities, self-adhesive, ultra-stretchability, and remarkable mechanical properties for a high-performance wearable flexible sensor

“…6(b) ). 34,35 With the addition of 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 wt% KCl in the PAM/MXene 15 /AFP 40 hydrogel, the related hydrogel's freezing temperature was −25.03, −26.75, −28.07, −30.95, −32.13, and −35.41 °C, respectively, demonstrating the introduction of KCl results in the decrease of the freezing temperature, which caused by the suppressing of ice crystals formation by the KCl ( Fig. 6(c) ).…”

Post-Implantation Stiffening by a Bioinspired, Double-Network, Self-Healing Hydrogel Facilitates Minimally Invasive Cell Delivery for Cartilage Regeneration

“…Among the variety of scaffolds developed, hydrogel provides a 3D microenvironment which is essential for maintaining chondrotypic phenotype. Among the hydrogels, injectable hydrogels are found to be more promising based on their minimally invasive delivery via arthroscopy which enables better patient compliance and improved integration with the native tissue. , Different approaches have been reported for developing an injectable hydrogel for CTE. Among these, Schiff base covalently crosslinked hydrogels have drawn special interest owing to the self-healing and in situ crosslinking abilities. − The advantage of using a self-healing hydrogel over conventional crosslinked hydrogel include its ability to self-repair, which increases its life-time and provides adaptability to changes in the polymer network that occur as a result of cell proliferation and gel degradation. , …”

“…Among the hydrogels, injectable hydrogels are found to be more promising based on their minimally invasive delivery via arthroscopy which enables better patient compliance and improved integration with the native tissue. 3,4 Different approaches have been reported for developing an injectable hydrogel for CTE. Among these, Schiff base covalently crosslinked hydrogels have drawn special interest owing to the self-healing and in situ crosslinking abilities.…”