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Poly(2-alkyl-2-oxazoline)-Heparin Hydrogels—Expanding the Physicochemical Parameter Space of Biohybrid Materials
2021, Hahn, Dominik, Sonntag, Jannick M., Lück, Steffen, Maitz, Manfred F., Freudenberg, Uwe, Jordan, Rainer, Werner, Carsten
Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-glycosaminoglycan (GAG) hydrogel networks are established as very versatile biomaterials. Herein, the synthetic gel component of the biohybrid materials is systematically varied by combining different poly(2-alkyl-2-oxazolines) (POx) with heparin applying a Michael-type addition crosslinking scheme: POx of gradated hydrophilicity and temperature-responsiveness provides polymer networks of distinctly different stiffness and swelling. Adjusting the mechanical properties and the GAG concentration of the gels to similar values allows for modulating the release of GAG-binding growth factors (VEGF165 and PDGF-BB) by the choice of the POx and its temperature-dependent conformation. Adsorption of fibronectin, growth of fibroblasts, and bacterial adhesion scale with the hydrophobicity of the gel-incorporated POx. In vitro hemocompatibility tests with freshly drawn human whole blood show advantages of POx-based gels compared to the PEG-based reference materials. Biohybrid POx hydrogels can therefore enable biomedical technologies requiring GAG-based materials with customized and switchable physicochemical characteristics. © 2021 The Authors. Advanced Healthcare Materials published by Wiley-VCH GmbH.
Ultrathin 2D Titanium Carbide MXene (Ti3C2Tx) Nanoflakes Activate WNT/HIF-1α-Mediated Metabolism Reprogramming for Periodontal Regeneration
2021, Cui, Di, Kong, Na, Ding, Liang, Guo, Yachong, Yang, Wenrong, Yan, Fuhua
Periodontal defect regeneration in severe periodontitis relies on the differentiation and proliferation of periodontal ligament cells (PDLCs). Recently, an emerging 2D nanomaterial, MXene (Ti3C2Tx), has gained more and more attention due to the extensive antibacterial and anticancer activity, while its potential biomedical application on tissue regeneration remains unclear. Through a combination of experimental and multiscale simulation schemes, Ti3C2Tx has exhibited satisfactory biocompatibility and induced distinguish osteogenic differentiation of human PDLCs (hPDLCs), with upregulated osteogenesis-related genes. Ti3C2Tx manages to activate the Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway by enhancing the Wnt-Frizzled complex binding, thus stabilizing HIF-1α and altering metabolic reprogramming into glycolysis. In vivo, hPDLCs pretreated by Ti3C2Tx display excellent performance in new bone formation and osteoclast inhibition with enhanced RUNX2, HIF-1α, and β-catenin in an experimental rat model of periodontal fenestration defects, indicating that this material has high efficiency of periodontal regeneration promotion. It is demonstrated in this work that Ti3C2Tx has highly efficient therapeutic effects in osteogenic differentiation and periodontal defect repairment. © 2021 The Authors. Advanced Healthcare Materials published by Wiley-VCH GmbH