Issue 34, 2023

Engineering metabolic cycle-inspired hydrogels with enzyme-fueled programmable transient volume changes

Abstract

An enzyme-fueled transient volume phase transition (TVPT) of hydrogels under out-of-equilibrium conditions is reported. The approach takes inspiration from the metabolic cycle, comprising nutrient intake and anabolism/catabolism followed by waste excretion. The incorporation of methacrylic acid and acrylated trypsin in a polymeric hydrogel allowed the TVPT of the gel to be fueled by lysozyme. With the intake of lysozyme as fuel, the construction/destruction of electrostatic cross-linkages induced transient shrinkage/swelling of the gel accompanied by the depletion of lysozyme activity. The system's transient response could be flexibly programmed by adjusting not only the fuel concentration but the chemical composition of materials. The lysozyme-fueled TVPT of the gel could be exploited to transient changes in the mechanical properties of the gel. Our work opens a route toward a new class of stimuli-responsive hydrogels for biomedical applications.

Graphical abstract: Engineering metabolic cycle-inspired hydrogels with enzyme-fueled programmable transient volume changes

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Communication
Submitted
24 mar 2023
Accepted
03 avq 2023
First published
04 avq 2023

J. Mater. Chem. B, 2023,11, 8136-8141

Engineering metabolic cycle-inspired hydrogels with enzyme-fueled programmable transient volume changes

Y. K. Hong, M. Nakamoto and M. Matsusaki, J. Mater. Chem. B, 2023, 11, 8136 DOI: 10.1039/D3TB00638G

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