Plasma-based fast-gelling biohybrid gels for biomedical applications

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Biomedical Engineering
• Translational Medicine

Background:

• Blood-based biomaterials, including fibrin gels, are valuable in biomedical applications due to biocompatibility and biodegradability.
• Challenges with blood-derived materials include low mechanical stability, poor adhesion, and contamination risks.
• Porcine plasma offers a potential source for developing robust blood-based biomaterials.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a mechanically stable and adaptable blood-based biomaterial from porcine plasma.
• To investigate the use of biodegradable synthetic crosslinkers to tailor the properties of plasma gels.
• To evaluate the potential of these engineered plasma gels as a drug delivery platform for wound healing.

Main Methods:

• Porcine plasma was used to form gels in the presence of biodegradable synthetic crosslinkers.
• The mechanical strength of the plasma gels was modulated by adjusting the concentration of synthetic crosslinkers.
• Cytotoxicity and drug release profiles of the plasma gels were assessed using in vitro models.

Main Results:

• Plasma gels with tunable mechanical properties were successfully fabricated using porcine plasma and synthetic crosslinkers.
• The developed plasma gels exhibited low cytotoxicity, making them suitable for biomedical applications.
• A model drug release study demonstrated a slow and sustained drug release from the plasma gel platform.

Conclusions:

• Biodegradable synthetic crosslinkers enable the creation of mechanically robust and tailorable plasma gels from porcine plasma.
• These engineered plasma gels represent a promising, low-cytotoxicity biomaterial for drug delivery, particularly for wound healing.
• The controlled drug release capability highlights the potential of these blood-based biomaterials in advanced therapeutic applications.