Biopolymer AND self Healing

Biomass-based hydrogels have attracted great attention in flexible and sustainable self-powered power sources but struggled to fabricate in a green, high-efficiency, and low-cost manner. Herein, a novel and facile alkali-polyphenol synergetic self-catalysis system is originally employed for the fast gelation of self-healable and self-adhesive lignin-based conductive hydrogels, which can be regarded as hydrogel electrodes of flexible triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs). This synergy self-catalytic system comprises aqueous alkali and polyphenol-containing lignin, in which alkali-activated ammonium persulfate (APS) significantly accelerates the generation of radicals and initiates the polymerization of monomers, while polyphenol acts as a stabilizer to avoid bursting polymerization from inherent radical scavenging ability...

The development of injectable hydrogel dressings which are long-term moisturizing, easy-to-apply, and effectively inhibiting infection and inflammatory is essential to promote burn wound repairing. Herein, we develop an injectable hydrogel with moisturizing, antibacterial and anti-inflammation abilities via multiple reversible interactions between cation guar gum (CG) and metallic-polyphenolic nanoparticles (PA-ZnII NPs). Specifically, PA-ZnII NPs is formed by synergistic complexation of protocatechualdehyde (PA) and zinc ion (Zn2+ ), provides CGPZ hydrogel with plentiful reversible interactions to inhibit the loss of moist...

In this study, a smart strain sensor based on gluten/guar gum (GG) copolymer containing a combination of additives was developed. The mix proportions of strain sensors were designed using Taguchi method coupled with Grey relational analysis. L16 orthogonal array with three factors, viz. tannic acid (TA), glycerol and sodium chloride (NaCl) at four-levels each was optimized. The addition of TA substantially enhanced tensile strength, self-adhesion ability and conductivity. The self-adhesion ability could also be improved by adding NaCl in range of 0-5 wt%...

The clinical treatment of bone defects presents ongoing challenges. One promising approach is bone tissue engineering (BTE), wherein hydrogels have garnered significant attention. However, the application of hydrogels in BTE is severely limited due to their poor mechanical properties, as well as their inferior proangiogenic and osteogenic activities. To address these limitations, our study aimed to develop a novel hydrogel, termed dual cross-linked alendronate (ALN)-Ca2+ /Mg2+ -doped sulfated hyaluronic acid (SHA@CM) hydrogel, using a one-step mixing injection molding in situ method known as the "three-in-one" approach...

A gelatin-based hydrogel system is a stimulus-responsive, biocompatible, and biodegradable polymeric system with solid-like rheology that entangles moisture in its porous network that gradually protrudes to assemble a hierarchical crosslinked arrangement. The hydrolysis of collagen directs gelatin construction, which retains arginyl glycyl aspartic acid and matrix metalloproteinase-sensitive degeneration sites, further confining access to chemicals entangled within the gel (e.g., cell encapsulation), modulating the release of encapsulated payloads and providing mechanical signals to the adjoining cells...

With the growing demand for wearable electronics, designing biocompatible hydrogels that combine self-repairability, wide operating temperature and precise sensing ability offers a promising scheme. Herein, by interpenetrating naturally derived carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) into a polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) gel matrix, a novel hydrogel is successfully developed via simple coordination with calcium chloride (CaCl2 ). The chelation of CMC and Ca2+ is applied as a second crosslinking mechanism to stabilize the hydrogel at relatively high temperature (95 °C)...

Wound management represents a well-known continuous challenge and concern of the global healthcare systems worldwide. The challenge is on the one hand related to the accurate diagnosis, and on the other hand to establishing an effective treatment plan and choosing appropriate wound care products in order to maximize the healing outcome and minimize the financial cost. The market of wound dressings is a dynamic field which grows and evolves continuously as a result of extensive research on developing versatile formulations with innovative properties...

This comprehensive review begins by tracing the historical development and progress of cold plasma technology as an innovative approach to polymer engineering. The study emphasizes the versatility of cold plasma derived from a variety of sources including low-pressure glow discharges (e.g., radiofrequency capacitively coupled plasmas) and atmospheric pressure plasmas (e.g., dielectric barrier devices, piezoelectric plasmas). It critically examines key operational parameters such as reduced electric field, pressure, discharge type, gas type and flow rate, substrate temperature, gap, and how these variables affect the properties of the synthesized or modified polymers...

Full-thickness skin defect has always been a major challenge in clinic due to fibrous hyperplasia in repair process. Hydrogel composite dressings loaded with anti-fibrotic drugs have been considered as a promising strategy for scarless skin regeneration. In this work, a hydrogel composite (VP-CMCS-OSA) of carboxymethyl chitosan (CMCS) and oxidized sodium alginate (OSA), with loading anti-fibrotic drug verteporfin (VP), is developed based on two-step chemical reactions. Verteporfin was bonded with carboxymethyl chitosan through EDC/NHS treatment to form VP-CMCS, and then VP-CMCS was crosslinked with oxidized sodium alginate by Schiff base reaction to form VP-CMCS-OSA hydrogel...

Modern healthcare engineering requires a wound dressing solution supported by materials with outstanding features such as high biological compatibility, strong mechanical strength, and higher transparency with effective antibacterial properties. Here, we present a unique hydrogel technology consisting of two negatively charged biopolymers and a positively charged synthetic polymer. The interaction between charged polymers through hydrogen bonds has been created, which are revealed in the simulation by density functional theory and Fourier transform infrared spectra of individual polymers and the hydrogel film...

Treating wound infections has been a difficult task ever since pathogenic bacteria started to develop resistance to common antibiotics. The present study develops hybrid hydrogels based on the formation of a polyelectrolyte complex between the anionic charges of dopamine-functionalized Gellan Gum (GG-DA) and the cationic moieties of the TMP-G2-alanine dendrimer. The hydrogels thus obtained can be doubly crosslinked with CaCl2 , obtaining solid hydrogels. Or, by oxidizing dopamine to GG-DA, possibly causing further interactions such as Shiff Base and Michael addition to take place, hydrogels called injectables can be obtained...

Antibacterial hydrogel has emerged as an excellent candidate for wound dressing with the ability to eliminate infection and promote wound healing. Herein, a dynamic hydrogel was developed by Schiff base reaction of mixed charged polypeptides and oxidized dextran (ODex). Specifically, biodegradable polypeptides of 1-(propylthio)acetic acid-3-butylimidazole-modified poly(L-lysine) (PLL-PBIM) and adipate dihydrazide-modified poly(L-glutamic acid) (PLG-ADH) were achieved with tunable substitution and charge. By mixing with ODex, charged polypeptides of PLL-PBIM and PLG-ADH led to an injectable and self-healing hydrogel in seconds...

Dynamic hydrogel systems from N,O-carboxymethyl chitosan (NOCC) have been investigated in the past years which has facilitated their widespread use in many biomedical engineering applications. However, the influence of the polymer's oxidation levels on the hydrogel biological properties has not been fully investigated. In this study, chitosan was converted into NOCC and introduced to react spontaneously with oxidized xanthan gum (OXG) to form several injectable hydrogels with controlled degradability. Different oxidation levels of xanthan gum, as well as NOCC/OXG volume ratios, were trialed...

A shear-thinning and self-healing hydrogel based on a gelatin biopolymer was synthesized using vanillin and Fe3+ as dual crosslinking agents. Rheological studies indicate the formation of a strong gel found to be injectable and exhibit rapid self-healing (within 10 minutes). The hydrogels also exhibited a high degree of swelling, suggesting potential as wound dressings since the absorption of large amounts of wound exudate, and optimum moisture levels, lead to accelerated wound healing. Andrographolide, an anti-inflammatory natural product was used to fabricate silver nanoparticles, which were characterized, and composited with the fabricated hydrogels to imbue them with anti-microbial activity...

Functional hydrogels show potential application in repairing spinal cord injury (SCI) due to their unique chemical, physical, and biological properties and functions. In this comprehensive review, we present recent advance in the material design, functional regulation, and SCI repair applications of bioactive hydrogels. Different from previously released reviews on hydrogels and three-dimensional scaffolds for the SCI repair, this work focuses on the strategies for material design and biologically functional regulation of hydrogels, specifically aiming to show how these significant efforts can promoting the repairing performance of SCI...

Dynamic covalent chemistry (DCC) crosslinks can form hydrogels with tunable mechanical properties permissive to injectability and self-healing. However, not all hydrogels with transient crosslinks are easily extrudable. For this reason, two additional design parameters must be considered when formulating DCC-crosslinked hydrogels: 1) degree of functionalization (DoF) and 2) polymer molecular weight (MW). To investigate these parameters, we formulated hydrogels comprised of two recombinant biopolymers: (1) a hyaluronic acid (HA) modified with benzaldehyde (HA-BZA) and (2) an elastin-like protein (ELP) modified with hydrazine (ELP-HYD)...

Dynamic G-quadruplex supramolecular hydrogels have aroused great interest in a broad range of bioapplications. However, neither the development of native extracellular matrix (ECM)-derived natural biopolymer-functionalized G-quadruplex hydrogels nor their use to create perfusable self-supporting hydrogels has been explored to date, despite their intrinsic potential as carrier vehicles of therapeutic agents, or even living cells in advanced regenerative therapies, or as platforms to enable the diffusion of nutrients and oxygen to sustain long-term cell survival...

The imbalance of extrinsic and intrinsic healing of tendon is thought to be the main cause of peritendinous adhesions. In this work, we prepare an injectable supramolecular poly(N-(2-hydroxypropyl) acrylamide) (PHPAm) hydrogel merely via side chain hydrogen-bonding crosslinks. This PHPAm exhibits good antifouling and self-healing properties. The supramolecular hydrogel simultaneously loaded with Prussian blue (PB) nanoparticles and platelet lysate (PL) is exlpored as a functional physical barrier, which could significantly resist the adhesion of fibrin and fibroblasts, attenuate the local inflammatory response, and enhance the tenocytes activity, thus balancing extrinsic and intrinsic healing...

Biopolymers have received widespread attention due to their beneficial characteristics, such as like easy processing, biodegradability and biocompatibility. Concurrently, inorganic polyoxometalates (POMs), a class of metal-oxygen anionic and nanosized clusters of early transition metals, have a wide range of attractive functions and are used in biomedical and industrial fields. In this communication, we report a simple approach to create ammonium metavanadate (AMV)-biopolymer composite hydrogel beads that combine the advantages of biopolymers and POM clusters...

The complex or compromised bone defects caused by osteomyelitis, malignant tumors, metastatic tumors, skeletal abnormalities, and systemic diseases are difficult to be self-repaired, leading to a non-union fracture. With the increasing demands of bone transplantation, more and more attention has been paid to artificial bone substitutes. As biopolymer-based aerogel materials, nanocellulose aerogels have been widely utilized in bone tissue engineering. More importantly, nanocellulose aerogels not only mimic the structure of the extracellular matrix but could also deliver drugs and bioactive molecules to promote tissue healing and growth...