Sequential gelation of tyramine-substituted hyaluronic acid hydrogels enhances mechanical integrity and cell viability.

Tyramine-substituted hyaluronic acid (HA-Tyr) hydrogels formed by the oxidative coupling reaction of hydrogen peroxide (HO) and horseradish peroxidase (HRP) have been used for cellular encapsulation and protein delivery. Crosslinking density and gelation time can be tuned by altering the HO and HRP concentrations. Previous studies using HA-Tyr constructs report significant mechanical degradation after 21 days of culture.