Injectable, Pore-Forming, Perfusable Double-Network Hydrogels Resilient to Extreme Biomechanical Stimulations

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Regenerative Medicine
• Tissue Engineering

Background:

• Biological tissues require blood perfusion and mechanical strength for function.
• Developing injectable hydrogels with both high permeability and toughness is a significant challenge in regenerative medicine.

Purpose of the Study:

• To fabricate injectable, pore-forming double-network hydrogels with enhanced permeability and mechanical properties.
• To assess the potential of these hydrogels for cell delivery, tissue engineering, and repairing mechanically dynamic tissues.

Main Methods:

• Utilized stepwise gelation and phase separation processes to create pore-forming double-network hydrogels.
• Investigated hydrogel properties including pore interconnectivity, cell compatibility, toughness, and fatigue resistance.
• Evaluated hydrogel performance in biomimetic perfusion bioreactors under biomechanical stimulation.

Main Results:

• The fabricated hydrogels exhibited interconnected pores facilitating medium perfusion through organ-sized matrices.
• Hydrogels supported cell encapsulation, delivery, proliferation, and spreading.
• Demonstrated pore insensitivity, toughness, and fatigue resistance, maintaining integrity under high-frequency biomechanical stimulation (>60000 cycles at 120 Hz).

Conclusions:

• The developed injectable hydrogels possess a unique combination of high permeability and toughness.
• These hydrogels show great potential for applications in regenerative medicine, including repairing dynamic tissues like vocal folds.
• The technology is promising for tissue engineering, biofabrication, organs-on-chips, drug delivery, and disease modeling.