Aging and degeneration of human tissue come with the loss of tissue water retention and associated changes in physical properties partially due to degradation and subsequent loss of proteoglycans. We demonstrated a novel method of fabrication of biomimetic proteoglycans, which mimic the three-dimensional bottlebrush architecture and physical behavior of natural proteoglycans responsible for tissue hydration and structural integrity. Biomimetic proteoglycans are synthesized by an end-on attachment of natural chondroitin sulfate bristles to a synthetic poly(acryloyl chloride) backbone. Atomic force microscopy imaging suggested three-dimensional core-bristle architecture, and hydrodynamic size of biomimetic proteoglycans was estimated at 61.3 ± 12.3 nm using dynamic light scattering. Water uptake results indicated that biomimetic proteoglycans had a ∼50% increased water uptake compared to native aggrecan and chondroitin sulfate alone. The biomimetic proteoglycans are cytocompatible in the physiological ranges of concentrations and could be potentially used to repair damaged or diseased tissue with depleted proteoglycan content.

Urinary incontinence is a significant challenge for women who are affected by it. We propose augmenting the tissue structure to restore normal biomechanics by molecularly engineering the tissue using a novel family of biomimetic proteoglycans (BPGs). This work examines the ability of BPGs to modulate the mechanical and physical properties of porcine urethras ex vivo to determine the feasibility of BPGs to be implemented as molecular treatment for stress urinary incontinence (SUI). We investigated compliance by performing a unique radial expansion testing method using urethras from six- to nine-month-old pigs. The urethras were injected with 0.5 ml BPG solution at three sites every approximately 120° (conc.: 25 mg ml −1 , 50 mg ml −1 and 75 mg ml −1 in 1× phosphate-buffered saline (PBS); n = 4 per group) and compared them with PBS-injected controls. Young's modulus was calculated by treating the urethra as a thin-walled pressure vessel. A water uptake study was performed by soaking 10 mm urethra biopsy samples that were injected with 0.1 ml BPG solution (conc.: 50 mg ml −1 , 100 mg ml −1 and 200 mg ml −1 in 1× PBS; n = 6 per group) in 5 ml PBS for 24 h. Although there was no significant difference in Young's modulus data, there were differences between groups as can be seen in the raw radial expansion testing data. Results showed that BPGs have the potential to increase hydration in samples, and that there was a significant difference in water uptake between BPG-injected samples and the controls (100 mg ml −1 samples versus PBS samples, p < 0.05). This work shows that BPGs have the potential to be implemented as a molecular treatment for SUI, by restoring the diminished proteoglycan content and subsequently increasing hydration and improving the compliance of urethral tissue.

Stress urinary incontinence (SUI), a serious condition which affects ~56% of postmenopausal women, is the involuntary leakage of urine through urethra during physical activity that causes an increase in abdominal pressure. SUI is associated with a decrease in compliance and volume of urethral tissue, likely due to a reduced proteoglycan: collagen ratio in the extracellular matrix and collagen disorganization. Here, we investigated the use of biomimetic proteoglycans (BPGs) to molecularly engineer urethral tissue of New Zealand White rabbits to examine biocompatibility in vivo. BPG concentrations of 50 mg/mL (n = 6, 1 week) and 200 mg/mL (n = 6, 1 week and n = 6, 6 weeks) dissolved in 1× phosphate‐buffered saline (PBS) were injected transurethrally using a 9 French cystoscope, and were compared to PBS‐injected controls (n = 3, 1 week) and non‐injected controls (n = 2, 1 week). Urethral compression pressure measurements confirm BPG injections did not modify normal urethral pressure, as intended. Histological assessment demonstrated biological tolerance of BPGs in urethra and no inflammatory response was detected after 1 and 6 weeks compared to non‐injected controls. Confocal imaging of fluorescently‐labeled BPG injected urethral specimens demonstrated the integration of BPGs into the interstitial connective tissue and confirmed they were still present after 6 weeks. A general decrease of collagen density was exhibited near injection sites which may be due to increased hydration induced by BPGs. Injection of BPGs is a novel approach that demonstrates potential as molecular treatment for SUI and may be able to reverse some of the degenerative tissue changes of individuals affected by this condition. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: 00B: 000–000, 2019. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater 107B: 2409–2418, 2019.

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