Simultaneous nano- and microscale structural control of injectable hydrogels via the assembly of nanofibrous protein microparticles for tissue regeneration.

Simultaneous nano- and microscale structural control of injectable hydrogels via the assembly of nanofibrous protein microparticles for tissue regeneration. Biomaterials. 2019 Aug 29;223:119458 Authors: Hou S, Niu X, Li L, Zhou J, Qian Z, Yao D, Yang F, Ma PX, Fan Y Abstract Injectable hydrogels are advantageous as tissue regeneration scaffolds, as they can be delivered through a minimally invasive injection and seamlessly integrate with the target tissues. However, an important shortcoming of current injectable hydrogels is the lack of simultaneous control over their micro- and nanoscale structures. In this article, the authors report a strategy for developing injectable hydrogels that integrate a fibrous nanostructure and porous microstructure. The hydrogels are prepared by using novel nanofibrous microparticles as the building blocks. The protein based nanofibrous microparticles, fabricated by a spray freezing technology, can be injected through a syringe-needle system. A cell-compatible photocuring process can be deployed to connect the microparticles and form a mechanically robust hydrogel scaffold. The inter-particle voids combined to form the interconnected micropores and the diameter of the nanofibers (100-300 nm) closely mimics that of the native extracellular matrix. Compared to the non-porous hydrogels and non-fibrous hydrogels, the microparticle annealed nanofibrous (MANF) hydrogels potently enhance the osteogenic-marke...
Source: Biomaterials - Category: Materials Science Authors: Tags: Biomaterials Source Type: research