Department of Medical Nanotechnology, Faculty of Advanced Medical Sciences, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
Department of Tissue Engineering, Faculty of Advanced Medical Sciences, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
BMC Biotechnol. 2023 Jul 11;23(1):21. doi: 10.1186/s12896-023-00788-4.
Gelatin methacrylate-based hydrogels (GelMA) were widely used in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. However, to manipulate their various chemical and physical properties and create high-efficiency hydrogels, different materials have been used in their structure. Eggshell membrane (ESM) and propolis are two nature-derived materials that could be used to improve the various characteristics of hydrogels, especially structural and biological properties. Hence, the main purpose of this study is the development of a new type of GelMA hydrogel containing ESM and propolis, for use in regenerative medicine. In this regard, in this study, after synthesizing GelMA, the fragmented ESM fibers were added to it and the GM/EMF hydrogel was made using a photoinitiator and visible light irradiation. Finally, GM/EMF/P hydrogels were prepared by incubating GM/EMF hydrogels in the propolis solution for 24 h. After various structural, chemical, and biological characterizations, it was found that the hydrogels obtained in this study offer improved morphological, hydrophilic, thermal, mechanical, and biological properties. The developed GM/EMF/P hydrogel presented more porosity with smaller and interconnected pores compared to the other hydrogels. GM/EMF hydrogels due to possessing EMF showed compressive strength up to 25.95 ± 1.69 KPa, which is more than the compressive strength provided by GM hydrogels (24.550 ± 4.3 KPa). Also, GM/EMF/P hydrogel offered the best compressive strength (44.65 ± 3.48) due to the presence of both EMF and propolis. GM scaffold with a contact angle of about 65.41 ± 2.199 θ showed more hydrophobicity compared to GM/EMF (28.67 ± 1.58 θ), and GM/EMF/P (26.24 ± 0.73 θ) hydrogels. Also, the higher swelling percentage of GM/EMF/P hydrogels (343.197 ± 42.79) indicated the high capacity of this hydrogel to retain more water than other scaffolds. Regarding the biocompatibility of the fabricated structures, MTT assay results showed that GM/EMF/P hydrogel significantly (p-value < 0.05) supported cell viability. Based on the results, it seems that GM/EMF/P hydrogel could be a promising biomaterial candidate for use in various fields of regenerative medicine.
明胶甲基丙烯酰基水凝胶（GelMA）在组织工程和再生医学中得到了广泛应用。然而，为了控制其各种化学和物理性质并创造高效水凝胶，不同的材料已被用于其结构中。蛋壳膜（ESM）和蜂胶是两种天然衍生材料，可以用于改善水凝胶的各种特性，特别是结构和生物特性。因此，本研究的主要目的是开发一种新型的含有 ESM 和蜂胶的 GelMA 水凝胶，用于再生医学。在这方面，在本研究中，在合成 GelMA 后，将细碎的 ESM 纤维添加到其中，并使用光引发剂和可见光照射来制造 GM/EMF 水凝胶。最后，通过将 GM/EMF 水凝胶在蜂胶溶液中孵育 24 小时来制备 GM/EMF/P 水凝胶。经过各种结构、化学和生物学特性分析后，发现本研究中获得的水凝胶具有改善的形态、亲水性、热稳定性、机械性能和生物性能。与其他水凝胶相比，所开发的 GM/EMF/P 水凝胶具有更多的孔隙度和更小的互连孔。由于含有 EMF，GM/EMF 水凝胶的压缩强度高达 25.95±1.69 KPa，高于 GM 水凝胶（24.550±4.3 KPa）的压缩强度。此外，由于同时存在 EMF 和蜂胶，GM/EMF/P 水凝胶提供了最佳的压缩强度（44.65±3.48）。GM 支架的接触角约为 65.41±2.199θ，与 GM/EMF（28.67±1.58θ）和 GM/EMF/P（26.24±0.73θ）水凝胶相比，表现出更高的疏水性。此外，GM/EMF/P 水凝胶较高的溶胀百分比（343.197±42.79）表明该水凝胶保留更多水分的能力高于其他支架。关于所制备结构的生物相容性，MTT 测定结果表明，GM/EMF/P 水凝胶显著（p 值<0.05）支持细胞活力。根据结果，GM/EMF/P 水凝胶似乎可以成为一种有前途的生物材料候选物，可用于再生医学的各个领域。
