Kim Yeonjeong, Park Kyung Min
Department of Bioengineering and Nano-Bioengineering, Incheon National University, Incheon 22012, Republic of Korea.
Research Center for Bio Materials & Process Development, Incheon National University, Incheon 22012, Republic of Korea.
Biomater Res. 2025 Aug 12;29:0238. doi: 10.34133/bmr.0238. eCollection 2025.
Bioactive hydrogels have garnered considerable attention for endogenous tissue regeneration owing to their affordability, minimal regulatory barriers, and ability to harness the body's intrinsic healing potential. Recently, inorganic-ion-releasing hydrogels have been developed as bioactive matrices, promoting wound healing and tissue repair through external cellular stimulation. Among various therapeutic inorganic ions, zinc ions (Zn), in particular, play essential roles in wound healing by modulating cell proliferation and angiogenesis and facilitating tissue remodeling. Numerous strategies have been developed to fabricate Zn-releasing biomaterials; however, these methods often encounter challenges, including complex fabrication processes, rapid ion release, and limited mechanical stability. To address these challenges, we developed a novel Zn-releasing bioactive hydrogel (Zn-Gel) as a bioactive matrix that supported wound healing via a zinc peroxide (ZnO)-mediated cross-linking reaction. Zn-Gel was fabricated by combining thiolated gelatin with ZnO solutions, forming a hydrogel with controllable Zn release kinetics that depended on ZnO concentration and enabled sustained release of Zn for up to 14 d. Zn-Gel demonstrated excellent cytocompatibility and tissue compatibility in both in vitro and in vivo studies. Interestingly, Zn-Gel accelerated wound healing by promoting cell proliferation, blood vessel formation, hair follicle formation, and collagen deposition. Therefore, Zn-Gel holds great potential as an advanced bioactive material for wound healing and tissue regeneration.
生物活性水凝胶因其价格低廉、监管障碍最小以及能够利用人体内在愈合潜力等特点，在促进内源性组织再生方面备受关注。近年来，无机离子释放水凝胶已被开发为生物活性基质，通过外部细胞刺激促进伤口愈合和组织修复。在各种治疗性无机离子中，锌离子（Zn）尤其在伤口愈合中发挥着重要作用，它通过调节细胞增殖和血管生成以及促进组织重塑来实现这一作用。人们已经开发出多种策略来制备锌释放生物材料；然而，这些方法往往面临挑战，包括复杂的制备过程、快速的离子释放以及有限的机械稳定性。为了解决这些挑战，我们开发了一种新型的锌释放生物活性水凝胶（Zn-Gel）作为生物活性基质，它通过过氧化锌（ZnO）介导的交联反应来支持伤口愈合。Zn-Gel是通过将巯基化明胶与ZnO溶液混合制备而成的，形成了一种具有可控锌释放动力学的水凝胶，其锌释放动力学取决于ZnO浓度，并能够实现锌的持续释放长达14天。在体外和体内研究中，Zn-Gel都表现出优异的细胞相容性和组织相容性。有趣的是，Zn-Gel通过促进细胞增殖、血管形成、毛囊形成和胶原蛋白沉积来加速伤口愈合。因此，Zn-Gel作为一种用于伤口愈合和组织再生的先进生物活性材料具有巨大的潜力。
