National Engineering Research Center for Biomaterials, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610064, China; College of Biomedical Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610064, China.
National Engineering Research Center for Biomaterials, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610064, China; College of Biomedical Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610064, China.
Int J Biol Macromol. 2024 Jun;270(Pt 2):132458. doi: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2024.132458. Epub 2024 May 19.
The salient gelling feature of alginate via forming the egg-box structure with calcium ions has received extensive interests for different applications. Owing to the interfacial incompatibility of rigid inorganic solids with soft polymers, the requirement of overall stereocomplexation with calcium released from uniformly distributed solids in alginate remains a challenge. In this study, a novel alginate-incorporated calcium source was proposed to tackle the intractable dispersion for the preparation of injectable alginate hydrogels. Calcium phosphate synthesis in alginate solution yielded CaP-alginate hybrids as a calcium source. The physicochemical characterization confirmed the CaP-alginate hybrid was a nano-scale alginate-hydroxyapatite complex. The colloidally stable CaP-alginate hybrids were uniformly dispersed in alginate solutions even under centrifugation. The calcium-induced gelling of the CaP-alginate hybrids-loaded alginate solutions formed soft yet tough hydrogels including transparent sheets and knittable threads, confirming the homogeneous gelation of the hydrogel. The gelation time, injectability and mechanical properties of the hydrogels could be adjusted by changing preparation parameters. The prepared hydrogels showed uniform porous structure, excellent swelling, wetting properties and cytocompatibility, showing a great potential for applications in different fields. The present strategy with organic/inorganic hybridization could be exemplarily followed in the future development of functional hydrogels especially associated with the interface integration.
藻酸盐通过与钙离子形成蛋盒结构具有明显的胶凝特性，因此在不同的应用中受到了广泛的关注。由于刚性无机固体与软聚合物之间的界面不相容性，因此需要从藻酸盐中均匀分布的固体中释放出的整体立体复合物与钙结合，这仍然是一个挑战。在这项研究中，提出了一种新型的藻酸盐结合钙源，以解决可注射藻酸盐水凝胶制备中难以克服的分散问题。在藻酸盐溶液中合成磷酸钙生成了作为钙源的 CaP-藻酸盐杂化物。物理化学特性分析证实 CaP-藻酸盐杂化物是纳米级的藻酸盐-羟基磷灰石复合物。即使在离心作用下，胶体稳定的 CaP-藻酸盐杂化物也能均匀分散在藻酸盐溶液中。载有 CaP-藻酸盐杂化物的藻酸盐溶液中的钙离子诱导胶凝形成了柔软但坚韧的水凝胶，包括透明薄片和可编织的线，这证实了水凝胶的均匀凝胶化。通过改变制备参数，可以调整水凝胶的胶凝时间、可注射性和机械性能。所制备的水凝胶具有均匀的多孔结构、优异的溶胀性、润湿性和细胞相容性，在不同领域的应用中具有很大的潜力。这种有机/无机杂化的策略在未来功能性水凝胶的发展中具有典范意义，特别是与界面整合相关的发展。
