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 3月 2023
Accepted
03 8月 2023
First published
04 8月 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

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