Designing New Bioinspired 3D-Hydrogels for Bone-Tissue Regeneration

The emerging demand for tissue engineering scaffolds capable of inducing bone regeneration using minimally invasive techniques prompts the need for the development of new biomaterials. One promising route is molecular self-assembly, a key direction in current nanotechnology and material science. In this approach, the physical properties of the formed supramolecular assemblies are directed by the inherent characteristics of the specific building blocks. Molecular co-assembly at varied stoichiometry substantially increases the structural and functional diversity of the formed assemblies, thus allowing tuning of their architecture and physical properties.

Here, in line with polymer chemistry paradigms, we applied a co-assembly approach using hydrogel forming peptides, resulting in a synergistic modulation of their mechanical properties to form extraordinarily rigid hydrogels which supported osteogenic differentiation based on cells-mechnosensing.¹ Furthermore, we designed a multi-component scaffold composed of polysaccharides, short self-assembling peptide, and bone minerals.^2,3,4 We demonstrate the formation of a rigid, yet injectable, hydrogel without the addition of cross-linking agents. The formed composite hydrogel displays a nanofibrous structure, which mimics the extracellular matrix and exhibits thixotropic behavior and a high storage modulus. This composite scaffold can induce osteogenic differentiation and facilitate calcium mineralization.³

This work provides a conceptual framework for the utilization of co-assembly strategies to push the limits of nanostructure physical properties obtained through self-assembly for the design of new biomaterials for tissue engineering applications.

References

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