Bio-inspired poly-DL-serine materials resist the foreign-body response

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Immunology
• Polymer Chemistry

Background:

• Foreign-body response (FBR) is a major cause of implant failure.
• Silk sericin's L-serine and neurotransmitter D-serine properties inspired the development of new biomaterials.
• Mitigating FBR is crucial for successful implantable biomedical devices.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate poly-DL-serine (PSer) hydrogels for their ability to mitigate foreign-body response.
• To assess the biocompatibility and inflammatory potential of PSer hydrogels in vivo.

Main Methods:

• Subcutaneous implantation of PSer hydrogels in mice for up to 7 months.
• Histological analysis of inflammatory cytokines.
• RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) assay to evaluate gene expression related to FBR.
• Comparison with Mock and poly(ethyleneglycol) (PEG) hydrogel groups.

Main Results:

• PSer hydrogels exhibited negligible inflammatory response and no significant collagen encapsulation at all tested time points.
• Histological and RNA-seq analyses confirmed low FBR, comparable to the Mock group.
• PSer hydrogels demonstrated superior anti-FBR performance compared to widely used PEG hydrogels.

Conclusions:

• PSer hydrogels are highly water-soluble, biocompatible, and easily accessible materials.
• PSer hydrogels show potent anti-foreign-body response capabilities, making them promising for implantable biomaterials.
• These findings suggest broad applications for PSer materials in biomedical devices and implants.