A highly oxidized form of a chitosan/dextran-based hydrogel (CD-100) containing 80% oxidized dextran aldehyde (DA-100) was developed as a post-operative aid, and found to significantly prevent adhesion formation in endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS). However, the CD-100 hydrogel showed moderate in vitro cytotoxicity to mammalian cell lines, with the DA-100 found to be the cytotoxic component. In or...

We present the synthesis of a highly stable protein hydrogel mediated by a split-intein-catalyzed protein trans-splicing reaction. The building blocks of this hydrogel are two protein block-copolymers each containing a subunit of a trimeric protein that serves as a crosslinker and one half of a split intein. A highly hydrophilic random coil is inserted into one of the block-copolymers for water...

Bacterial biofilms correspond to surface-associated bacterial communities embedded in hydrogel-like matrix, in which high cell density, reduced diffusion and physico-chemical heterogeneity play a protective role and induce novel behaviors. In this review, we present recent advances on the understanding of how bacterial mechanical properties, from single cell to high-cell density community, dete...

Light-driven degradation of photoactive molecules could be one of the major obstacles to stable long term operation of organic dye-based solar light harvesting devices. One solution to this problem may be mimicking the regeneration functionality of a plant leaf. We report an organic dye photovoltaic system that has been endowed with such microfluidic regeneration functionality. A hydrogel mediu...

Rapid advancements in stretchable and multifunctional electronics impose the challenge on corresponding power devices that they should have comparable stretchability and functionality. We report a soft skin-like triboelectric nanogenerator (STENG) that enables both biomechanical energy harvesting and tactile sensing by hybridizing elastomer and ionic hydrogel as the electrification layer and el...

Intrauterine adhesions (IUA) frequently occur after infectious or mechanical injury to the endometrium, which may lead to infertility and/or pregnancy complications. There are few effective treatments due to the complex function of endometrium and shortage of native materials. 17β-estradiol (E2) is commonly used as an ancillary treatment in IUA patients, but it is limited by its poor solubility...

Sericin, a major component of silk, has a long history of being discarded as a waste during silk processing. The value of sericin for tissue engineering is underestimated and its potential application in regenerative medicine has just begun to be explored. Here we report the successful fabrication and characterization of a covalently-crosslinked 3D pure sericin hydrogel for delivery of cells an...

This paper reports the rheological behavior of swelled and mineralized hydrogel prepared using polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) hydrogel as base polymer. Herein, the bio-mineral calcium carbonate (CaCO3) was incorporated into the hydrogel using simple liquid diffusion method. The morphology of the swelled and mineralized hydrogel was analyzed through scanning electron...

The mixtures of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and polyethylene glycol (PEG) with calcium chloride (CaCl2) were exposed to gamma-irradiation to synthesize transparent hydrogels for wound dressing. In this system, CaCl2 was used not only as a gelling material but also as a plasticizer. The presence of CaCl2 enhances the effects of PEG, this synergistic effects give births a new hydrogel with improved c...

While human bone morphogenetic protein-2 (rhBMP-2) is a promising growth factor for bone regeneration, its clinical efficacy has recently shown to be below expectation. In order to improve the clinical translation of rhBMP-2, there exists strong motivation to engineer better delivery systems. Hyaluronic acid (HA) hydrogel is a suitable carrier for the delivery of rhBMP-2, but a major limitation...