Department of Biomedical Engineering, Institute for Complex Molecular Systems (ICMS), Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven 5600 MB, The Netherlands.
Leiden Academic Centre for Drug Research (LACDR), Leiden University, Wassenaarseweg 76, Leiden 2333 AL, The Netherlands.
Biomacromolecules. 2024 Aug 12;25(8):4686-4696. doi: 10.1021/acs.biomac.3c01357. Epub 2024 Jul 26.
Synthetic supramolecular polymers and hydrogels in water are emerging as promising biomaterials due to their modularity and intrinsic dynamics. Here, we introduce temperature sensitivity into the nonfunctionalized benzene-1,3,5-tricarboxamide () supramolecular system by incorporating a poly(-isopropylacrylamide)-functionalized ( moiety, enabling 3D cell encapsulation applications. The viscous and structural properties in the solution state as well as the mechanical and dynamic features in the gel state of mixtures were investigated and modulated. In the dilute state ( ∼μM), acted as a chain capper below the cloud point temperature ( = 24 °C) but served as a cross-linker above . At higher concentrations ( ∼mM), weak or stiff hydrogels were obtained, depending on the ratio. The mixture with the highest ratio was ∼100 times stiffer and ∼10 times less dynamic than hydrogel. Facile cell encapsulation in 3D was realized by leveraging the temperature-sensitive sol-gel transition, opening opportunities for utilizing this hydrogel as an extracellular matrix mimic.
在水中合成的超分子聚合物和水凝胶由于其模块性和固有动力学而成为有前途的生物材料。在这里，我们通过引入聚（异丙基丙烯酰胺）功能化（ moiety，使非功能化的苯-1,3,5-三甲酰胺（）超分子系统具有温度敏感性，从而能够实现 3D 细胞包封应用。研究并调节了 混合物在溶液状态下的粘性和结构特性以及在凝胶状态下的机械和动态特性。在稀溶液状态下（ ∼μM），在浊点温度（ = 24°C）以下充当链封端剂，但在以上充当交联剂。在较高浓度（ ∼mM）下，根据 的比例获得弱或硬水凝胶。具有最高 比例的混合物比 水凝胶硬约 100 倍，动态性低约 10 倍。通过利用温度敏感的溶胶-凝胶转变实现了 3D 细胞的简便封装，为利用这种水凝胶作为细胞外基质模拟物开辟了机会。
