Zwitterionic Granular Hydrogel for Cartilage Tissue Engineering.

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Tissue Engineering
• Regenerative Medicine

Background:

• Zwitterionic hydrogels offer excellent biocompatibility and antifouling properties for cartilage tissue engineering.
• Current limitations include the lack of injectable formulations for cell encapsulation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop injectable, self-healing, and in situ crosslinkable zwitterionic granular hydrogels for cartilage tissue engineering.
• To assess the biocompatibility and efficacy of these hydrogels for chondrocyte encapsulation and cartilage matrix formation.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of zwitterionic granular hydrogels via mechanical fragmentation of bulk hydrogels (CBAA or CBAA/SBMA).
• Enzymatic crosslinking using horseradish peroxidase for construct stabilization.
• Encapsulation and culture of human primary chondrocytes within the hydrogel system.

Main Results:

• The developed granular hydrogels are injectable, self-healing, and enzymatically crosslinkable, forming a microporous structure.
• Encapsulated chondrocytes exhibit high viability, proliferation, migration, and production of cartilaginous extracellular matrix (ECM).
• Increased hydrogel porosity and SBMA incorporation enhance cell proliferation and ECM secretion.

Conclusions:

• This novel strategy provides a simple, scalable method for engineering cartilage using zwitterionic granular hydrogels.
• The injectable and biocompatible nature of these hydrogels facilitates direct cell encapsulation and promotes chondrogenesis.
• The findings highlight the potential of zwitterionic granular hydrogels for diverse tissue engineering applications.