NDI based C2-symmetric Chiral Supramolecular Hydrogels Towards Enhanced Conductivity.

To comprehend the significance of improved conductive properties in C2-symmetric hydrogels, it is vital to investigate how non-gelating achiral functional group isomers influence the conductivity of such supramolecular hydrogels, whereas understanding the major driving forces behind this regulatory process is first and foremost. Herein, we report a hydrogel system containing tryptophan-conjugated NDI as the backbone (L/D-NTrp), enabling effective supramolecular assembly with the bipyridyl functional group isomers. This co-assembly behavior results in materials with exceptional mechanical properties and high conductivities, surpassing most previously reported C2-symmetrical hydrogels, as well as the ability to form controlled morphologies.

Autoclavable Albumin-Based Cryogels with Uncompromising Properties.

The development of autoclavable hydrogels has been driven by the need for materials that can withstand the rigors of sterilization without compromising their properties or functionality. Many conventional hydrogels cannot withstand autoclave treatment owing to the breakdown of their composition or structure under the high-temperature and high-pressure environment of autoclaving. Here, the effect of autoclaving on the physical, mechanical, and biological properties of bovine serum albumin methacryloyl (BSAMA) cryogels at three protein concentrations (3, 5, and 10%) was extensively studied.

Human Albumin-Based Hydrogels for Their Potential Xeno-Free Microneedle Applications.

Nowadays, hydrogels-based microneedles (MNs) have attracted a great interest owing to their outstanding qualities for biomedical applications. For the fabrication of hydrogels-based microneedles as tissue engineering scaffolds and drug delivery carriers, various biomaterials have been tested. They are required to feature tunable physiochemical properties, biodegradability, biocompatibility, nonimmunogenicity, high drug loading capacity, and sustained drug release.

Emerging albumin hydrogels as personalized biomaterials.

Developing biomaterials-based tissue engineering scaffolds with personalized features and intrinsic biocompatibility is appealing and urgent. Through utilizing various strategies, albumin, as the most abundant protein in plasma, could be fabricated into sustainable, cost-effective, and potentially personalized hydrogels that would display enormous biological applications. To date, much of the albumin-based research is primarily engrossed in using albumin as a therapeutic molecule or a drug carrier, not much as a scaffold for tissue engineering.

Mussel-Inspired Surface Functionalization of Porous Albumin Cryogels Supporting Synergistic Antibacterial/Antioxidant Activity and Bone-Like Apatite Formation.

A crucial method for adding new functions to current biomaterials for biomedical applications has been surface functionalization via molecular design. Mussel-inspired polydopamine (PDA) has generated much attention as a facile method for the functionalization of biomaterials because of its substantial independence in deposition, beneficial cell interactions, and significant responsiveness aimed at secondary functionalization. Because of their porous structure, the bovine serum albumin methacryloyl (BSAMA)-BM cryogels were functionalized with PDA (BM-PDA), which may reproduce the architecture and biological purpose of the natural extracellular environment.

Facile Fabrication of Transparent and Opaque Albumin Methacryloyl Gels with Highly Improved Mechanical Properties and Controlled Pore Structures.

For porous protein scaffolds to be employed in tissue-engineered structures, the development of cost-effective, macroporous, and mechanically improved protein-based hydrogels, without compromising the original properties of native protein, is crucial. Here, we introduced a facile method of albumin methacryloyl transparent hydrogels and opaque cryogels with adjustable porosity and improved mechanical characteristics via controlling polymerization temperatures (room temperature and -80 °C). The structural, morphological, mechanical, and physical characteristics of both porous albumin methacryloyl biomaterials were investigated using FTIR, CD, SEM, XRD, compression tests, TGA, and swelling behavior.

Comparison of globular albumin methacryloyl and random-coil gelatin methacryloyl: Preparation, hydrogel properties, cell behaviors, and mineralization.

Bovine serum albumin methacryloyl (BSAMA) is a newly emerging photocurable globular protein-based material whereas gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA) is one of the most popular photocurable fibrous protein-based materials. So far, the influence of their different structural conformations as building blocks on hydrogel properties and mineral deposition has not been investigated. Here, we compared their differences in structures, gelation kinetics, hydrogel properties, mineralization, and cell behaviors.

Antimicrobial Activity with Enhanced Mechanical Properties in Phenylalanine-Based Chiral Coassembled Hydrogels: The Influence of Pyridine Hydrazide Derivatives.

Hydrazide derivatives are known to display a wide range of biological properties including antimicrobial activities, hence making them desirable candidates for soft biomaterials. Herein, we report chiral supramolecular coassembled hydrogels obtained from two phenylalanine gelators (L/DPF and B2L/D) and two dicarbohydrazide molecules (pyridine-2,6-dicarbohydrazide (PDH) and (2,2'-bipyridine)-5,5'-dicarbohydrazide (BDH)) that exhibited enhanced mechanical properties, chirality modulation, and antimicrobial activity. Four lines of coassembled hydrogels were obtained (.

Supramolecular Hydrogels with Tunable Chirality for Promising Biomedical Applications.

Chirality exits from molecular-level, supramolecular, and nanoscaled helical structures to the macroscopic level in biological life. Among these various levels, as the central structural motifs in living systems (e.g.