Self-Healing Zwitterionic Microgels as a Versatile Platform for Malleable Cell Constructs and Injectable Therapies

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Polymer Chemistry
• Regenerative Medicine

Background:

• Injectable and malleable hydrogels are crucial for biomedical applications due to their biocompatibility and ease of use.
• Zwitterionic polymers offer unique properties like non-fouling and non-immunogenicity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a simple and scalable strategy for creating injectable and malleable zwitterionic polycarboxybetaine hydrogels.
• To characterize the properties and potential applications of these novel hydrogel constructs.

Main Methods:

• Synthesized zwitterionic polycarboxybetaine microgels.
• Reconstructed microgels using covalent crosslinking and supramolecular interactions to form zwitterionic injectable pellet (ZIP) constructs.
• Lyophilized ZIP constructs and assessed their rehydration and self-healing capabilities.

Main Results:

• Developed superhydrophilic, nonimmunogenic ZIP constructs with tunable viscoelasticity and supportive moduli.
• ZIP constructs can be lyophilized into a stable powder that fully recovers properties upon rehydration.
• Demonstrated rapid and spontaneous self-healing into a homogeneous composite when reconstituted with cells or therapeutics.

Conclusions:

• The developed zwitterionic hydrogel platform offers a versatile and highly biocompatible material for biomedical applications.
• ZIP constructs show promise as injectable scaffolds for promoting stem cell expansion and providing oxidative stress protection.