Injectable Nanocomposite Hydrogels of Gelatin-Hyaluronic Acid Reinforced with Hybrid Lysozyme Nanofibrils-Gold Nanoparticles for the Regeneration of Damaged Myocardium

Abstract

Biopolymeric injectable hydrogels are promising biomaterials for myocardial regeneration applications. Besides being biocompatible, they adjust themselves, perfectly fitting the surrounding tissue. However, due to their nature, biopolymeric hydrogels usually lack desirable functionalities, such as antioxidant activity and electrical conductivity, and in some cases, mechanical performance. Protein nanofibrils (NFs), such as lysozyme nanofibrils (LNFs), are proteic nanostructures with excellent mechanical performance and antioxidant activity, which can work as nanotemplates to produce metallic nanoparticles. Here, gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) were synthesized in situ in the presence of LNFs, and the obtained hybrid AuNPs@LNFs were incorporated into gelatin-hyaluronic acid (HA) hydrogels for myocardial regeneration applications. The resulting nanocomposite hydrogels showed improved rheological properties, mechanical resilience, antioxidant activity, and electrical conductivity, especially for the hydrogels containing AuNPs@LNFs. The swelling and bioresorbability ratios of these hydrogels are favorably adjusted at lower pH levels, which correspond to the ones in inflamed tissues. These improvements were observed while maintaining important properties, namely, injectability, biocompatibility, and the ability to release a model drug. Additionally, the presence of AuNPs allowed the hydrogels to be monitorable through computer tomography. This work demonstrates that LNFs and AuNPs@LNFs are excellent functional nanostructures to formulate injectable biopolymeric nanocomposite hydrogels for myocardial regeneration applications.

CO2-Responsive Rosin-Based Supramolecular Hydrogels: Diverse Chiral Nanostructures and Their Application in In Situ Synthesis of Chiral Gold Nanoparticles

“…Supramolecular hydrogels are usually used for the in situ synthesis of GNPs. On the one hand, they provide a favorable substrate for the controlled growth and stability of GNPs. , On the other hand, the aggregate structures of the supramolecular hydrogels exert an important influence on the morphologies and particle sizes of the GNPs. The dense interwoven chiral fibers within C n MPANB hydrogels are expected to act as nanoreactors and catalyze the generation of GNPs with novel structures.…”

Assembled polyphenol‐based systems as advanced therapeutics

“…Salvianolic acid (Sa) is a potent bioactive phenolic acid extracted from the traditional Chinese herbal medicine Salvia miltiorrhiza. 24,41,46,[76][77][78][79][80][81] Among the various Sa compounds, salvianolic acid A (SaA) and salvianolic acid B (SaB) are the most abundant and extensively studied in the treatment of various diseases. For instance, SaB is an…”