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Microfluidic Synthesis of Microgel Building Blocks for Microporous Annealed Particle Scaffold
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Click by Click Microporous Annealed Particle (MAP) Scaffolds
Nicole J Darling1, Weixian Xi2, Elias Sideris1
1Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California Los Angeles, 420 Westwood Plaza, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA.
Advanced Healthcare Materials
|April 25, 2020
Summary
Researchers developed tunable hyaluronic acid (HA) hydrogel microparticle (HMP) scaffolds for regenerative medicine. This novel annealing method allows precise control over scaffold rigidity and demonstrates in vivo biocompatibility for tissue repair applications.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Science
- Regenerative Medicine
- Tissue Engineering
Background:
- Macroporous scaffolds are crucial for tissue repair and regenerative medicine.
- Existing microporous annealed particle (MAP) scaffolds offer injectability but lack tunable mechanical properties.
- There is a need for advanced scaffolds with adjustable strength and rigidity for diverse applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a novel hyaluronic acid (HA) based hydrogel microparticle (HMP) scaffold with tunable mechanical properties.
- To investigate the effect of varying crosslinking ratios on scaffold rigidity.
- To evaluate the biocompatibility and in vivo performance of the developed scaffolds.
Main Methods:
- Synthesized HA-HMPs using thiol-norbornene click chemistry.
- Annealed HMPs into porous scaffolds via tetrazine-norbornene click reaction.
- Characterized scaffold mechanical properties (storage modulus, Young's modulus, maximum stress) and cell proliferation (human dermal fibroblasts).
- Evaluated in vivo biocompatibility in an ischemic stroke model.
Main Results:
- The tetrazine-norbornene click reaction enabled straightforward tuning of scaffold rigidity by altering the tetrazine to norbornene ratio.
- Increased tetrazine content led to enhanced scaffold storage modulus, Young's modulus, and maximum stress, independent of void fraction.
- Incorporated human dermal fibroblasts showed good proliferation and cell-occupied volume within the scaffolds, indicating biocompatibility.
- In vivo studies in an ischemic stroke model demonstrated reduced inflammation and astrogliosis with the HA-Tet MAP scaffolds.
Conclusions:
- The developed HA-HMP scaffold system, utilizing tetrazine-norbornene click chemistry, offers tunable mechanical properties for regenerative medicine.
- This annealing strategy is biocompatible both in vitro and in vivo.
- The tunable HA-HMP scaffolds show promise for applications in tissue repair, including ischemic stroke treatment.
