Injectable and self-healable hydrogel composed of oxidized hyaluronic acid and aminated gelatin with excellent...

Extracellular matrix (ECM)-inspired hydrogels are of great interests in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. In this work, injectable and self-healing hydrogels based on key ECM biomolecules were developed under mild conditions. A series of oxidized hyaluronic acid (oHA) and hydrazide-modified gelatin (Gel-ADH/CDH) were synthesized and characterized by proton nuclear magnetic resonance and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. In addition, the morphologies, rheological properties, and degradation kinetics of the resulting hydrogels (oHA-Gel-ADH/CDH) were systematically investigated. It was found that the oHA-Gel-ADH/CDH hydrogels possessed good injectability and self-healing properties because of the dynamic Schiff base bonds. Moreover, the precursor polymers (oHA, Gel-ADH/CDH) and resulting hydrogels (oHA-Gel-ADH/CDH) not only induced low hemolysis rate but also well supported the survival and proliferation of umbilical cord-derived mesenchymal stem cells, indicating their excellent hemocompatibility and cytocompatibility. Overall, this work highlights the versatility of the oHA-Gel-ADH/CDH hydrogels and signifies their widely potential biomedical applications.