Kappa-carrageenan based hybrid hydrogel for soft tissue engineering applications.
F Safarpour1, M Kharaziha1, H Mokhtari2
1Department of Materials Engineering, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan 84156-83111, Iran.
Biomedical Materials (Bristol, England)
|June 22, 2023
Summary
Red blood cell membrane (RBCM) vesicles enhance methacrylate kappa-carrageenan hydrogels for tissue engineering. These RBCM-laden hydrogels show improved mechanical properties and controlled release of hydrophobic drugs like curcumin.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Science
- Tissue Engineering
- Drug Delivery Systems
Background:
- Cell-derived membrane vesicles offer versatile platforms for molecular delivery.
- Red blood cell membranes (RBCM) possess inherent functionalities suitable for biomaterial applications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a novel composite hydrogel using RBCM vesicles and methacrylate kappa-carrageenan (KaMA) for soft tissue engineering.
- To investigate the impact of RBCM vesicle incorporation on hydrogel properties and therapeutic agent delivery.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication of KaMA hydrogels with varying RBCM vesicle content.
- Mechanical characterization of hydrogels under compressive and cyclic loading.
- Encapsulation and in vitro release studies of curcumin (CUR).
- In vitro assessment of fibroblast cell viability and proliferation.
Main Results:
- RBCM incorporation significantly enhanced hydrogel compressive strength (103 ± 26 kPa to 257 ± 18 kPa) and toughness (1.0 ± 0.4 kJ m⁻³ to 4.0 ± 0.5 kJ m⁻³).
- Controlled release of encapsulated curcumin over three days was observed.
- The composite hydrogels supported in vitro fibroblast cell growth and proliferation.
Conclusions:
- KaMA/RBCM hydrogels exhibit tunable mechanical properties and controlled hydrophobic drug release capabilities.
- These findings highlight the potential of RBCM-functionalized hydrogels for advanced soft tissue engineering applications.
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