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Hydrogel Nanocomposites for Biomedical Applications
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Hydrogel Nanocomposites for Biomedical Applications

A special issue of Micro (ISSN 2673-8023). This special issue belongs to the section "Microscale Biology and Medicines".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2024 | Viewed by 4165

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Laura Chronopoulou

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Nanobiotechnology Laboratory, Department of Chemistry, Sapienza University of Rome, P.le A. Moro 5, 00185 Rome, Italy
Interests: nanobiotechnologies; nanomedicine; microfluidics; nanomaterials; nano drug delivery systems
Dr. Yujie Chen

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
Interests: smart polymers and polymer-based composites; functional polymer-based composites; polymer based artificial muscles; shape memory polymers; self-healing polymers

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Hydrogels are attractive materials for biomedical applications, since they present unique structures and features. Their extremely high water content allows them to mimic biological systems. Moreover, hydrogel preparation and structure may be designed in order to make them compatible with their injection in specific tissues or organs, where a specific stimulus may trigger gelation. This ability allows the adaptation of the hydrogel shape to the specific injured site. However, many physical hydrogels do not possess physicochemical characteristics that make them suitable for in situ injection because of their low mechanical strength and limited functionalities. In fact, most biomedical applications require multiple functionalities and dynamic interactions between the surrounding matrices and cells. A common approach to overcome these limitations is the introduction of selected fillers in the native structure of the hydrogel, thus obtaining composite materials. As is well known, composite material can exhibit different characteristics from its individual components. The use of appropriate fillers can allow the design of advanced hydrogel materials for tailored applications. Polymers and nanofillers are currently the most used filler materials.

Topics of interest for this Special Issue include but are not limited to the following:

  • Composite hydrogels and biomedicine
  • Responsive hydrogels and sensors
  • Self-assembled networks
  • Nano-, micro-, and macro-hydrogel structures
  • Drug delivery
  • Tissue engineering

Dr. Laura Chronopoulou
Dr. Yujie Chen
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Micro is an international peer-reviewed open access quarterly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1000 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

13 pages, 4302 KiB  
Article
A Novel Approach of Polyethylene Glycol-4000 Hydrogels as Controlled Drug Carriers
by Muhammad Suhail, I-Hui Chiu, I-Ling Lin, Ming-Jun Tsai and Pao-Chu Wu
Micro 2023, 3(2), 578-590; https://doi.org/10.3390/micro3020039 - 01 Jun 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1449
Abstract
In this study, we developed polyethylene glycol-4000-based hydrogels for ketorolac tromethamine-controlled delivery systems through a free radical polymerization method. The developed hydrogels were subjected to FTIR, TGA, DSC, XRD, SEM, porosity analysis, dynamic swelling analysis, release studies, etc. The successful crosslinking and stability [...] Read more.
In this study, we developed polyethylene glycol-4000-based hydrogels for ketorolac tromethamine-controlled delivery systems through a free radical polymerization method. The developed hydrogels were subjected to FTIR, TGA, DSC, XRD, SEM, porosity analysis, dynamic swelling analysis, release studies, etc. The successful crosslinking and stability of the prepared hydrogels were confirmed by FTIR, DSC, and TGA analysis. The surface morphology and the reduction in the crystallinity of the polymer after grafting were shown by SEM and XRD analysis. Similarly, the soluble part of the developed hydrogels was eliminated from their insoluble part by the Soxhlet extraction process. Higher dynamic swelling and drug release were observed at high pH values compared to low pH values. High porosity was perceived with high concentrations of the monomers and polymer and decreased with the high incorporation of a crosslinker. The release mechanism of all formulations followed non-Fickian diffusion. The results demonstrate that the developed polyethylene glycol-4000 hydrogels could serve as promising controlled drug delivery carriers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Hydrogel Nanocomposites for Biomedical Applications)
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24 pages, 9201 KiB  
Article
Designing Viscoelastic Gelatin-PEG Macroporous Hybrid Hydrogel with Anisotropic Morphology and Mechanical Properties for Tissue Engineering Application
by Kamol Dey, Silvia Agnelli and Luciana Sartore
Micro 2023, 3(2), 434-457; https://doi.org/10.3390/micro3020029 - 11 Apr 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2104
Abstract
The mechanical properties of scaffolds play a vital role in regulating key cellular processes in tissue development and regeneration in the field of tissue engineering. Recently, scaffolding material design strategies leverage viscoelasticity to guide stem cells toward specific tissue regeneration. Herein, we designed [...] Read more.
The mechanical properties of scaffolds play a vital role in regulating key cellular processes in tissue development and regeneration in the field of tissue engineering. Recently, scaffolding material design strategies leverage viscoelasticity to guide stem cells toward specific tissue regeneration. Herein, we designed and developed a viscoelastic Gel-PEG hybrid hydrogel with anisotropic morphology and mechanical properties using a gelatin and functionalized PEG (as a crosslinker) under a benign condition for tissue engineering application. The chemical crosslinking/grafting reaction was mainly involved between epoxide groups of PEG and available functional groups of gelatin. FTIR spectra revealed the hybrid nature of Gel-PEG hydrogel. The hybrid hydrogel showed good swelling behavior (water content > 600%), high porosity and pore interconnectivity suitable for tissue engineering application. Simple unidirectional freezing followed by a freeze-drying technique allowed the creation of structurally stable 3D anisotropic macroporous architecture that showed tissue-like elasticity and was capable of withstanding high deformation (50% strain) without being damaged. The tensile and compressive modulus of Gel-PEG hybrid hydrogel were found to be 0.863 MPa and 0.330 MPa, respectively, which are within the range of normal human articular cartilage. In-depth mechanical characterizations showed that the Gel-PEG hybrid hydrogel possessed natural-tissue-like mechanics such as non-linear and J-shaped stress-strain curves, stress softening effect, high fatigue resistance and stress relaxation response. A month-long hydrolytic degradation test revealed that the hydrogel gradually degraded in a homogeneous manner over time but maintained its structural stability and anisotropic mechanics. Overall, all these interesting features provide a potential opportunity for Gel-PEG hybrid hydrogel as a scaffold in a wide range of tissue engineering applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Hydrogel Nanocomposites for Biomedical Applications)
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