2025-02-03 ペンシルベニア州立大学(PennState)
<関連情報>
- https://www.psu.edu/news/engineering/story/novel-living-biomaterial-aims-advance-regenerative-medicine
- https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2025/mh/d4mh00922c
ナノ化された動的に反応する生きた細胞性ハイドロゲル Nano-enabled dynamically responsive living acellular hydrogels
Roya Koshani,Sina Kheirabadi and Amir Sheikhi
Materials Horizons Published:25 Oct 2024
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1039/D4MH00922C
Abstract
As a key building block of mammalian tissues, extracellular matrices (ECMs) stiffen under shear deformation and undergo cell-imparted healing after damage, features that regulate cell fate, communication, and survival. The shear-stiffening behavior is attributed to semi-flexible biopolymeric ECM networks. Inspired by the mechanical behavior of ECMs, we develop acellular nanocomposite living hydrogels (LivGels), comprising network-forming biopolymers and anisotropic hairy nanoparticle linkers that mimic the dynamic mechanical properties of living counterparts. We show that a bifunctional dynamic linker nanoparticle (nLinker), bearing semi-flexible aldehyde- and carboxylate-modified cellulose chains attached to rigid cellulose nanocrystals converts bulk hydrogels to ECM-like analogues via ionic and dynamic covalent hydrazone bonds. The nLinker not only enables the manipulation of nonlinear mechanics and stiffness within the biological window, but also imparts self-healing to the LivGels. This work is a step forward in designing living acellular soft materials with complex dynamic properties using bio-based nanotechnology.
New concepts
It is non-trivial to convert conventional, static hydrogels to those that mimic the dynamic properties of extracellular matrices (ECMs) and tissues. The recent decade has witnessed the quest to engineer “living materials” that mimic the characteristic features of biological systems, such as the strain-stiffening behavior, anisotropy, and self-healing, driven by the need for innovations in biomedicine and beyond. Acellular living materials are an emerging class of engineered living materials, aiming to replicate the complexity of biological materials without using any living cells. Our research presents a new concept in converting static gels to those that partially mimic the ECM and tissue properties via anisotropic hairy nanoparticle linkers (nLinker). We develop novel acellular living hydrogels (LivGels) that are engineered using the nLinker and a biopolymer via tailoring polymer–polymer and polymer–nLinker dynamic interactions. Unlike conventional hydrogels, the LivGels, inspired by the structural organization of ECM networks and the healing potential of cells, enable shear-stiffening and self-healing traits. This conceptually novel design allows precise control of the nonlinear mechanics and stiffness of self-healing LivGels. The LivGels may open a new avenue for developing dynamic soft materials for regenerative engineering, tissue and disease models, organs-on-a-chip platforms, additive manufacturing, soft robotics, and active materials.
