Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
4.7
5.0
Journals
Gels
Special Issues
Multifunctional Hydrogels for Tissue Engineering
share announcement

Multifunctional Hydrogels for Tissue Engineering

A special issue of Gels (ISSN 2310-2861). This special issue belongs to the section "Gel Processing and Engineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2023) | Viewed by 4868

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Weihao Yuan

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Dentistry, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
Interests: dynamic biomaterials; multifunctional hydrogels; stimuli-responsive nanoparticles; drug delivery; tissue engineering
Dr. Jiankun Xu

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Musculoskeletal Research Laboratory, Department of Orthopaedics & Traumatology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 999077, China
Interests: magnesium alloys; biodegradable implant; microbial corrosion

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Cells continuously interact with their surrounding microenvironment, and these interactions regulate a series of cellular processes, thereby directing cell behaviour and fate. Engineered biomaterials provide an artificial microenvironment for seeded or encapsulated cells, where cell–material interaction can be rationally modulated to realize effective cell lineage commitment. Previous studies achieved significant progress in the biomedical application of biomimetic materials emulating the biochemical complexity of the extracellular matrix (ECM).

Among various biomaterials, hydrogels are promising candidates for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Hydrogels are highly hydrated polymeric networks, crosslinked by a wide range of physical or covalent interactions. The polymeric networks can be rationally designed and tailored with highly tunable molecular building blocks. Both physical and covalent interactions can be designed to respond to various external stimuli, such as pH, temperature, enzyme, magnetic field and light, for which biophysical and biochemical properties can be readily manipulated. Moreover, hydrogels can be integrated with various micro- or nanostructures, in which therapeutic drugs can be easily encapsulated and embedded. Therefore, hydrogels are highly versatile platforms with multifunctionalities given by their polymeric networks and embedded micro- or nanostructures. Multifunctional hydrogels have been widely used in biomedical applications, especially tissue engineering for wound healing and musculoskeletal and nervous system regeneration, due to their facile fabrication, good biocompatibility and stimuli responsiveness.

This Special Issue aims to cover all aspects of multifunctional hydrogels with a focus on their biomedical applications in tissue engineering. We look forward to the submission of works concerning, but not limit to, the following fields: the design of novel stimuli-responsive hydrogels, engineered bioactive stem cell niches and translational studies of multifunctional hydrogels in tissue engineering.

Dr. Weihao Yuan
Dr. Jiankun Xu
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Gels is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2100 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • multifunctional hydrogels
  • tissue engineering
  • stimuli-responsive
  • stem cell niches
  • bioactive

Published Papers (2 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

16 pages, 3762 KiB  
Article
Antibacterial Thermosensitive Silver–Hydrogel Nanocomposite Improves Wound Healing
by Nafise Amiri, Sahand Ghaffari, Ida Hassanpour, Taesik Chae, Reza Jalili, Ruhangiz Taghi Kilani, Frank Ko, Aziz Ghahary and Dirk Lange
Gels 2023, 9(7), 542; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels9070542 - 4 Jul 2023
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1749
Abstract
Bacterial infection and poor cell recruitment are among the main factors that prolong wound healing. To address this, a strategy is required that can prevent infection while promoting tissue repair. Here, we have created a silver nanoparticle-based hydrogel composite that is antibacterial and [...] Read more.
Bacterial infection and poor cell recruitment are among the main factors that prolong wound healing. To address this, a strategy is required that can prevent infection while promoting tissue repair. Here, we have created a silver nanoparticle-based hydrogel composite that is antibacterial and provides nutrients for cell growth, while filling cavities of various geometries in wounds that are difficult to reach with other dressings. Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) were synthesized by chemical reduction and characterized using transmission electron microscopy (TEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS), and inductively coupled plasma-mass spectroscopy (ICP-MS). Using varying concentrations of AgNPs (200, 400, and 600 ppm), several collagen-based silver–hydrogel nanocomposite candidates were generated. The impact of these candidates on wound healing was assessed in a rat splinted wound model, while their ability to prevent wound infection from a contaminated surface was assessed using a rat subcutaneous infection model. Biocompatibility was assessed using the standard MTT assay and in vivo histological analyses. Synthesized AgNPs were spherical and stable, and while hydrogel alone did not have any antibacterial effect, AgNP–hydrogel composites showed significant antibacterial activity both in vitro and in vivo. Wound healing was found to be accelerated with AgNP–hydrogel composite treatment, and no negative effects were observed compared to the control group. The formulations were non-cytotoxic and did not differ significantly in hematological and biochemical factors from the control group in the in vivo study. By presenting promising antibacterial and wound healing activities, silver–hydrogel nanocomposite offers a safe therapeutic option that can be used as a functional scaffold for an acceleration of wound healing. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Multifunctional Hydrogels for Tissue Engineering)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

22 pages, 8793 KiB  
Article
Growth Factor Loaded Thermo-Responsive Injectable Hydrogel for Enhancing Diabetic Wound Healing
by Vyshnavi Tallapaneni, Lavanya Mude, Divya Pamu, Vasanth Raj Palanimuthu, Sai Varshini Magham, Veera Venkata Satyanarayana Reddy Karri and Madhukiran Parvathaneni
Gels 2023, 9(1), 27; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels9010027 - 29 Dec 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2582
Abstract
Background: Diabetic wound (DW) is the most devastating complication resulting in significant mortality and morbidity in diabetic patients. The objective of the current study was to formulate Epidermal Growth Factor loaded Chitosan nanoparticle impregnated with thermos-responsive injectable hydrogel with protease inhibitor. EGF, shown [...] Read more.
Background: Diabetic wound (DW) is the most devastating complication resulting in significant mortality and morbidity in diabetic patients. The objective of the current study was to formulate Epidermal Growth Factor loaded Chitosan nanoparticle impregnated with thermos-responsive injectable hydrogel with protease inhibitor. EGF, shown in all stages of wound healing from inflammation to proliferation and remodelling, combined with Doxycycline, a well-known anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial drug, could be a better strategy in diabetic wound healing. However, EGF’s low stability makes it difficult to use. Methodology: The nanoparticles were prepared using the ionic gelation method. The prepared nanoparticles were evaluated for particle size, zeta potential, entrapment efficiency, and SEM studies. Further, the optimized nanoparticle batch was loaded into hydrogel with a protease inhibitor. The hydrogel was evaluated for morphology, protease degradation, in vitro drug release, anti-bacterial activity, cell migration, in vitro cell biocompatibility, and in vivo wound healing studies. Results and Conclusion: The particle size analysis of nanoparticles revealed the size (203 ± 1.236 nm), Zeta potential (+28.5 ± 1.0 mV), and entrapment efficiency of 83.430 ± 1.8%, respectively. The hydrogel showed good porous morphology, injectability, thermo-responsive, biocompatibility, and controlled drug release. In vitro anti-bacterial studies revealed the potential anti-bacterial activity of doxycycline against various microbes. In vivo data indicated that combining EGF and DOX considerably reduced inflammation time-dependent than single-agent treatment. Furthermore, histological studies corroborated these findings. After topical application of hydrogel, histopathology studies revealed significant collagen synthesis and a fully regenerated epithelial layer and advancement in all three stages (proliferation, remodelling, and maturation), which are required to improve the diabetic wound healing process by any dressing. These findings demonstrated that hydrogel promoted cutaneous wound healing in STZ-induced rats by suppressing inflammation at the wound site. Furthermore, histological studies corroborated these findings. After topical application of hydrogel, histopathology studies revealed significant collagen synthesis, a fully regenerated epithelial layer, and advancement in all three stages (proliferation, remodelling, and maturation), which are required to improve the diabetic wound healing process by any dressing. These findings demonstrated that hydrogel promoted cutaneous wound healing in STZ-induced rats by suppressing inflammation at the wound site. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Multifunctional Hydrogels for Tissue Engineering)
►▼ Show Figures

Graphical abstract

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-2
Back to TopTop