Effective Suppression of Oxidative Stress on Living Cells in Hydrogel Particles Containing a Physically Immobilized...

We report a tungsten disulfide (WS₂) nanosheet-immobilized hydrogel system that can inhibit oxidative stress on living cells. First, we fabricated a highly stable suspension of WS₂ nanosheets as a radical scavenger by enveloping them with the amphiphilic poly(ε-caprolactone)- b-poly(ethylene oxide) copolymer (PCL- b-PEO) during in situ liquid exfoliation in aqueous medium. After the PCL- b-PEO-enveloped WS₂ nanosheets were embedded in three types of hydrogel systems, including carrageenan gum/locust bean gum bulk hydrogels, physically cross-linked alginate microparticles, and covalently cross-linked PEG hydrogel microparticles, they retained their characteristic optical properties. Intriguingly, the WS₂ nanosheet-immobilized hydrogel particles exhibited sustainable radical scavenging performance without any deterioration in the original activity of the WS₂ nanosheets, even after repeated use. This implies that the hydrogen atoms dissociated from the chalcogen of the WS₂ nanosheets effectively scavenged free radicals through the hydrogel mesh. Because of this unique behavior, the coexistence of the WS₂ nanosheets with living cells in the hydrogel matrix improved cell viability up to 40%, which demonstrates that the WS₂ nanosheets can suppress oxidative stress on living cells.