Injectable hydrogels are useful for numerous biomedical applications, such as to introduce therapeutics into tissues or for 3D printing. To expand the complexity of available injectable hydrogels, shear-thinning and self-healing granular hydrogels are developed from microgels that interact via guest-host chemistry. The microgel properties (e.g., degradation, molecule release) are tailored through their crosslinking chemistry, including degradation in response to proteases. When microgels of varied formulations are mixed, complex release and degradation behaviors are observed, including after injection to permit cellular invasion.

Supramolecular chemistry has emerged as an important technique for the formation of biomaterials, including nano- and microparticles and hydrogels. One specific class of supramolecular chemistry is the direct association of guest-host pairs, which involves host macrocycles such as cyclodextrins and cucurbit[n]urils and a wide range of guest molecules, where association is typically driven by molecule size and hydrophobicity. These systems are of particular interest in the biomedical field due to their dynamic nature, chemical diversity, relative ease of synthesis, and ability to interact with biological or synthetic molecules. In this review, we discuss aspects of polymeric material assembly mediated by guest-host interactions, including the fundamentals of assembly into functional biomedical materials. Additionally, applications of biomaterials that utilize guest-host interactions are discussed with a focus on injectable material formulations, the sequestration and delivery of encapsulated cargo (i.e., drugs, biomolecules), and the investigation of cell-material interactions (i.e., adhesion, differentiation, and delivery). While methodologies for guest-host mediated assembly and biological interaction have rapidly evolved in recent years, they remain far from realizing their full potential in the biomaterials field.

Self-assembled and injectable hydrogels have many beneficial properties for the local delivery of therapeutics; however, challenges still exist in the sustained release of small molecules from these highly hydrated networks. Host-guest chemistry between cyclodextrin and adamantane has been used to create supramolecular hydrogels from modified polymers. Beyond assembly, this chemistry may also provide increased drug retention and sustained release through the formation of inclusion complexes between drugs and cyclodextrin. Here, we engineered a two-component system from adamantane-modified and β-cyclodextrin (CD)-modified hyaluronic acid (HA), a natural component of the extracellular matrix, to produce hydrogels that are both injectable and able to sustain the release of small molecules. The conjugation of cyclodextrin to HA dramatically altered its affinity for hydrophobic small molecules, such as tryptophan. This interaction led to lower molecule diffusivity and the release of small molecules for up to 21 days with release profiles dependent on CD concentration and drug-CD affinity. There was significant attenuation of release from the supramolecular hydrogels (~20% release in 24h) when compared to hydrogels without CD (~90% release in 24h). The loading of small molecules also had no effect on hydrogel mechanics or self-assembly properties. Finally, to illustrate this controlled delivery approach with clinically used small molecule pharmaceuticals, we sustained the release of two widely used drugs (i.e., doxycycline and doxorubicin) from these hydrogels.

The development of multifunctional nanoparticles for medical applications is of growing technological interest. A single formulation containing imaging and/or drug moieties that is also capable of preferential uptake in specific cells would greatly enhance diagnostics and treatments. There is growing interest in plant-derived viral nanoparticles (VNPs) and establishing new platform technologies based on these nanoparticles inspired by nature. Cowpea mosaic virus (CPMV) serves as the standard model for VNPs. Although exterior surface modification is well known and has been comprehensively studied, little is known of interior modification. Additional functionality conferred by the capability for interior engineering would be of great benefit toward the ultimate goal of targeted drug delivery. Here, we examined the capacity of empty CPMV (eCPMV) particles devoid of RNA to encapsulate a wide variety of molecules. We systematically investigated the conjugation of fluorophores, biotin affinity tags, large molecular weight polymers such as polyethylene glycol (PEG), and various peptides through targeting reactive cysteines displayed selectively on the interior surface. Several methods are described that mutually confirm specific functionalization of the interior. Finally, CPMV and eCPMV were labeled with near-infrared fluorophores and studied side-by-side in vitro and in vivo. Passive tumor targeting via the enhanced permeability and retention effect and optical imaging were confirmed using a preclinical mouse model of colon cancer. The results of our studies lay the foundation for the development of the eCPMV platform in a range of biomedical applications.

Shear-thinning hydrogels are useful for biomedical applications, from 3D bioprinting to injectable biomaterials. Although they have the appropriate properties for injection, it may be advantageous to decouple injectability from the controlled release of encapsulated therapeutics. Toward this, composites of hydrogels and encapsulated microgels are introduced with microgels that are fabricated via microfluidics. The microgel crosslinker controls degradation and entrapped molecule release, and the concentration of microgels alters composite hydrogel rheological properties. For treatment of myocardial infarction (MI), interleukin-10 (IL-10) is encapsulated in microgels and released from composites. In a rat model of MI, composites with IL-10 reduce macrophage density after 1 week and improve scar thickness, ejection fraction, cardiac output, and the size of vascular structures after 4 weeks when compared to saline injection. Improvements are also observed with the composite without IL-10 over saline, emphasizing the role of injectable hydrogels alone on tissue repair.