Photo-regulated disulfide crosslinking: a versatile approach to construct mucus-inspired hydrogels

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Polymer Chemistry
• Mucosal Immunology

Background:

• Native mucus possesses potent antimicrobial properties but is challenging to use in research due to its complex, variable structure and limited availability.
• A need exists for synthetic materials that accurately mimic native mucus for laboratory studies and therapeutic applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a versatile synthetic mucus-mimetic hydrogel using a photo-regulated crosslinking strategy.
• To create a material with tunable viscoelastic properties and spatially controlled formation.

Main Methods:

• Synthesized a linear polyglycerol sulfate (lPGS) backbone functionalized with light-responsive 1,2-dithiolane units.
• Utilized photo-regulated disulfide crosslinking initiated by UV light to form hydrogels.
• Investigated the influence of light exposure time and crosslinker density on hydrogel properties.
• Demonstrated hydrogel formation through direct crosslinking with native bovine submaxillary mucin (BSM) at physiological pH.

Main Results:

• Successfully fabricated mucus-mimetic hydrogels via photo-regulated disulfide crosslinking.
• Demonstrated tunable viscoelastic properties by controlling light exposure and crosslinker density.
• Achieved spatially resolved hydrogel formation using localized UV irradiation.
• Showcased the ability of the synthetic polymer to crosslink with native mucin.

Conclusions:

• Developed a straightforward and versatile method for creating synthetic mucus-mimetic hydrogels.
• The photo-regulated disulfide crosslinking approach offers precise control over material properties and formation.
• This synthetic mucus model holds potential for applications in biomaterials research and mucosal immunology.