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Updated: Mar 20, 2026
Author Spotlight: Advancements in Stem Cell Regenerative Therapy Through Photobiomodulation
Published on: April 5, 2024
Light-triggered RNA release and induction of hMSC osteogenesis via photodegradable, dual-crosslinked hydrogels
Cong Truc Huynh1, Minh Khanh Nguyen1, Mantas Naris1
1Department of Biomedical Engineering, Case Western Reserve University, 10900 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44106, USA.
Aim:
To engineer a photodegradable hydrogel system for actively controlled release of bioactive unmodified RNA at designated time points to induce hMSC osteogenesis.
Materials & Methods:
RNA/polyethylenimine complexes were loaded into dual-crosslinked photodegradable hydrogels to examine the capacity of UV light application to trigger their release. The ability of released RNA to drive hMSC osteogenic differentiation was also investigated.
Results & Conclusion:
RNA release from photodegradable hydrogels was accelerated upon UV application, which was not observed in non-photodegradable hydrogels. Regardless of the presence of UV light, released siGFP exhibited high bioactivity by silencing GFP expression in HeLa cells. Importantly, siNoggin or miRNA-20a released from the hydrogels induced hMSC osteogenesis. This system provides a potentially valuable physician/patient-controlled 'on-demand' RNA delivery platform for biomedical applications.
