Department of Cellular Biophysics, Max Planck Institute for Medical Research, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany.
Department of Biophysical Chemistry, University of Heidelberg, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany.
Molecules. 2018 Mar 27;23(4):769. doi: 10.3390/molecules23040769.
The extracellular matrix (ECM) represents a highly charged and hydrated network in which different cells in vertebrate tissues are embedded. Hydrogels as minimal ECM mimetics with a controlled chemistry offer the opportunity to vary material properties by varying the negative network charge. In this paper, a synthetic biology model of the ECM based on natural and highly negatively charged polyelectrolyte hyaluronic acid (HA) is characterized with specific emphasis on its charge-related bioactivity. Therefore, the thiol-Michael addition click reaction is used to produce HA hydrogels with defined network structure and charge density. The presented hydrogels show enzymatic degradability and cell attachment. These properties depend on both covalent and electrostatic interactions within the hydrogel network. Furthermore, no unspecific or specific attachment of proteins to the presented hydrogels is observed. In addition, these fundamental insights into charge-related ECM behavior and the influence of electrostatic properties could also lead to innovations in existing biomedical products.
细胞外基质（ECM）代表了一种带高电荷和高水合的网络，脊椎动物组织中的不同细胞就嵌入在其中。水凝胶作为具有可控化学性质的最小 ECM 模拟物，通过改变负网络电荷，为改变材料性质提供了机会。在本文中，基于天然的、带高负电荷的多聚电解质透明质酸（HA）的 ECM 合成生物学模型得到了表征，重点关注其与电荷相关的生物活性。因此，使用硫醇-Michael 加成点击反应来制备具有确定网络结构和电荷密度的 HA 水凝胶。所制备的水凝胶具有酶降解性和细胞附着性。这些特性取决于水凝胶网络内的共价和静电相互作用。此外，没有观察到蛋白质非特异性或特异性地附着到所制备的水凝胶上。此外，这些关于电荷相关 ECM 行为和静电特性影响的基本见解也可能为现有生物医学产品带来创新。
