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Injectable Supramolecular Polymer-Nanoparticle Hydrogels for Cell and Drug Delivery Applications
Published on: February 7, 2021
Single-Helical Dopamine-g-Curdlan Hydrogels Showing High Adhesiveness and Injectability
Dongxue Lu1, Tian Xiao1, Lu Jiang1
1Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Bioengineering Medicine & National Engineering Research Center of Genetic Medicine, Department of Cell Biology and Institute of Biomedicine, Jinan University, Huang-Pu Avenue West 601, Guangzhou510632, China.
This study introduces a new dopamine-grafted curdlan hydrogel (Cur-DA) for advanced wound healing. The innovative single-helical structure and mussel-inspired design provide superior tissue adhesion, injectability, and self-healing properties for effective wound management.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Science
- Polymer Chemistry
- Regenerative Medicine
Background:
- Polysaccharide hydrogels are crucial for wound management but often lack sufficient tissue adhesion, injectability, and self-healing properties due to rigid structures.
- Improving interfacial interactions and polymer flexibility is key to enhancing hydrogel performance in wound dressings.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a mussel-inspired, dopamine-grafted curdlan hydrogel (Cur-DA) with enhanced properties for wound healing.
- To investigate the effect of a single-helical β-glucan architecture and catechol functionalization on hydrogel performance.
Main Methods:
- Curdlan hydrogels were synthesized using ethylene glycol diglycidyl ether (EGDE) under alkaline conditions for regioselective dopamine grafting.
- Characterization involved UV-Vis, FTIR, solid-state 13C NMR, XRD, circular dichroism, and XPS to confirm dopamine incorporation and conformational changes.
- In vitro hemocompatibility and cytocompatibility assays, along with in vivo studies in a murine wound model, were performed.
Main Results:
- Successful synthesis of Cur-DA hydrogels with a predominantly single-helical β-glucan architecture and catechol functionalization.
- Cur-DA hydrogels exhibited a nanofibrous, porous network with high water content, excellent swelling, mechanical compliance, robust tissue adhesion (10.21 kPa), self-healing, and injectability.
- In vivo studies demonstrated accelerated wound closure, enhanced re-epithelialization, and improved collagen deposition without systemic toxicity.
Conclusions:
- The developed Cur-DA hydrogel, featuring a single-helical structure and catechol groups, offers a promising platform for advanced wound dressings.
- This work establishes a conformation-engineering strategy for β-glucan hydrogels, highlighting their potential in regenerative medicine and wound management.
