Issue 8, 2024

Injectable extracellular matrix-mimetic hydrogel based on electrospun Janus fibers

Abstract

To date, the reported injectable hydrogels have failed to mimic the fibrous architecture of the extracellular matrix (ECM), limiting their biological effects on cell growth and phenotype. Additionally, they lack the micro-sized pores present within the ECM, which is unfavorable for the facile transport of nutrients and waste. Herein, an injectable ECM-mimetic hydrogel (IEMH) was fabricated by shortening and dispersing Janus fibers capable of self-curling at body temperature into pH 7.4 phosphate buffer solution. The IEMH could be massively prepared through a side-by-side electrospinning process combined with ultraviolet irradiation. The IEMHs with only 5 wt% fibers could undergo sol–gel transition at body temperature to become solid gels with desirable stability, sturdiness, and elasticity and self-healing ability. In addition, they possessed notable pseudoplasticity, which is beneficial to injection at room temperature. The results obtained from characterization analysis via scanning electron microscopy, total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy indicate that their sol–gel transition under physiological conditions stems from the synergistic action of the tight entanglements between thermally-induced self-curling fibers and the hydrophobic interaction between the fibers. An MTT assay using C2C12 myoblast cells was performed to examine the in vitro cytotoxicity of IEMHs for biomedical applications, and the cell viability was found to be more than 95%.

Graphical abstract: Injectable extracellular matrix-mimetic hydrogel based on electrospun Janus fibers

  • This article is part of the themed collection: #MyFirstMH

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Communication
Submitted
27 အောက် 2023
Accepted
30 ဇန် 2024
First published
31 ဇန် 2024

Mater. Horiz., 2024,11, 1944-1956

Injectable extracellular matrix-mimetic hydrogel based on electrospun Janus fibers

J. Zhang, X. Zha, G. Liu, H. Zhao, X. Liu and L. Zha, Mater. Horiz., 2024, 11, 1944 DOI: 10.1039/D3MH01789C

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements