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Gels
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Properties and Applications of Biomaterials Related to Gels (3rd Edition)
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Properties and Applications of Biomaterials Related to Gels (3rd Edition)

A special issue of Gels (ISSN 2310-2861). This special issue belongs to the section "Gel Applications".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 January 2026 | Viewed by 1083

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Shige Wang

E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor
School of Materials and Chemistry, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, Shanghai 200093, China
Interests: hydrogels; biomaterials; nanoparticles; tissue engineering
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

As an excellent biopolymer material, gel has been widely used in drug delivery, tissue engineering, disease treatment, etc. By combining different polymers, through physical or chemical changes, the prepared hydrogels can show better performance and be used in various environments.

At present, the exploration of gels in biomedicine seems to be diversified. In order to adapt to the complex environment in the organism, higher requirements must be put forward for gel. Under the premise that gel is biosafe, it must become tougher or more easily degradable according to the purpose of the application, be able to stay in the body for a long time to exert its effect, or be easily removed. Moreover, certain gels can even respond to changes in pH, temperature, biological indicators, or microorganisms in the body. We are interested in investigating the intelligent properties of gels, and the condition in which these properties can be used to facilitate their applications is undoubtedly a question that researchers need to consider carefully.

We look forward to receiving your unique insights into gel properties or applications. I hope to share the experimental and research results collated within this Special Issue and inspire new ideas for gel applications.

Prof. Dr. Shige Wang
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Gels is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2100 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • hydrogel
  • hemostasis
  • cell cryopreservation
  • drug delivery
  • wound dressing

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

15 pages, 2430 KiB  
Article
CMCSMA-Citric Acid Hydrogel-Coated Pancreatic Duct Stent Used for Pancreatic Calculi
by Jing Li, Jiahao Yang and Shige Wang
Gels 2025, 11(8), 651; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels11080651 (registering DOI) - 16 Aug 2025
Abstract
Pancreatic calculi, a common complication of chronic pancreatitis, significantly contribute to ductal obstruction, increased intraductal pressure, and debilitating abdominal pain. Although endoscopic pancreatic duct stenting alleviates ductal stenosis, conventional stents lack litholytic functionality, limiting their therapeutic efficacy. To address this challenge, we developed [...] Read more.
Pancreatic calculi, a common complication of chronic pancreatitis, significantly contribute to ductal obstruction, increased intraductal pressure, and debilitating abdominal pain. Although endoscopic pancreatic duct stenting alleviates ductal stenosis, conventional stents lack litholytic functionality, limiting their therapeutic efficacy. To address this challenge, we developed a drug-eluting pancreatic duct stent coated with a carboxymethyl chitosan methacrylate (CMCSMA)-based hydrogel utilizing 50% w/v citric acid (CA) as a litholytic agent. Polydopamine (PDA) interlayer was employed to enhance interfacial adhesion between the hydrogel and the stent surface. The CMCSMA hydrogel exhibited favorable physicochemical properties, including rapid gelation, excellent compressive strength (229.2 ± 14.8 kPa), hemocompatibility, and cytocompatibility. In vitro release studies revealed sustained CA release, achieving 66.3% cumulative release within 72 h. The hydrogel-coated stent demonstrated superior litholytic activity, dissolving over 90% of pancreatic calculi within 24 h. These results underscore the potential of CMCSMA-CA hydrogel-coated stents as a biocompatible and effective local drug delivery platform for targeted pancreatic duct litholysis. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Properties and Applications of Biomaterials Related to Gels (3rd Edition))
16 pages, 2534 KiB  
Article
Sodium Alginate/Carboxymethyl Chitosan Hydrogel Microbeads for Antibiotic Adsorption in Single and Binary Systems
by Zhisong Qian, Xinpeng Li, Gege Yan, Xiaoyong Chen, Mohd Shaiful Sajab, Gongtao Ding and Wan Nazihah Liyana Wan Jusoh
Gels 2025, 11(8), 646; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels11080646 - 14 Aug 2025
Abstract
The use of pharmaceuticals to treat human and animal diseases has resulted in the increase of antibiotic traces in the water system and soil, thus raising concerns about the environmental aspect. In this study, sodium alginate (SA) and carboxymethyl chitosan (CMCS) hydrogel microbeads [...] Read more.
The use of pharmaceuticals to treat human and animal diseases has resulted in the increase of antibiotic traces in the water system and soil, thus raising concerns about the environmental aspect. In this study, sodium alginate (SA) and carboxymethyl chitosan (CMCS) hydrogel microbeads were developed to enhance the adsorption of antibiotics by applying electrostatic spray in the fabrication of microbeads. Two hydrogel microbead sizes, SC-400 (~400 µm) and SC-2000 (~2000 µm), were used for the adsorption of tetracycline (TC) and ciprofloxacin (CIP) antibiotics in single and binary systems. The microbeads exhibited a good adsorption capacity and were able to achieve a maximum adsorption at pH 7 and 25 °C. Adsorption kinetics expressed suitability in the pseudo-second-order kinetic model for TC and CIP antibiotics. These results demonstrate that both single and binary systems align well with the Freundlich and Temkin isotherm models, indicating their suitability in explaining the adsorption mechanisms. These mechanisms predominantly involve electrostatic interactions between the SA/CMCS hydrogel microbeads and the antibiotics TC and CIP. This study highlights the capability of using SA/CMCS hydrogel microbeads for antibiotic removal and other environmental applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Properties and Applications of Biomaterials Related to Gels (3rd Edition))
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19 pages, 5545 KiB  
Article
Core-Shell Hydrogels with Tunable Stiffness for Breast Cancer Tissue Modelling in an Organ-on-Chip System
by Ilaria Parodi, Maria Elisabetta Federica Palamà, Donatella Di Lisa, Laura Pastorino, Alberto Lagazzo, Fabio Falleroni, Maurizio Aiello, Marco Massimo Fato and Silvia Scaglione
Gels 2025, 11(5), 356; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels11050356 - 13 May 2025
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Abstract
Breast cancer remains the most common malignancy in women, yet, many patients fail to achieve full remission despite significant advancements. This is largely due to tumour heterogeneity and the limitations of current experimental models in accurately replicating the complexity of in vivo tumour [...] Read more.
Breast cancer remains the most common malignancy in women, yet, many patients fail to achieve full remission despite significant advancements. This is largely due to tumour heterogeneity and the limitations of current experimental models in accurately replicating the complexity of in vivo tumour environment. In this study, we present a compartmentalised alginate hydrogel platform as an innovative in vitro tool for three-dimensional breast cancer cell culture. To mimic the heterogeneity of tumour tissues, we developed a core–shell structure (3.5% alginate core and 2% alginate shell) that mimic the stiffer, denser internal tumour matrix. The human triple-negative breast cancer cell line (MDA-MB-231) was embedded in core–shell alginate gels to assess viability, proliferation and hypoxic activity. Over one week, good cells proliferation and viability was observed, especially in the softer shell. Interestingly, cells within the stiffer core were more positive to hypoxic marker expression (HIF-1α) than those embedded in the shell, confirming the presence of a hypoxic niche, as observed in vivo. When cultured in the MIVO® milli fluidic organ-on-chip resembling the physiological fluid flow conditions, cancer cells viability became comparable between core and shell hydrogel area, emphasising the importance of the fluid flow in nutrients diffusion within three-dimensional matrixes. Cisplatin chemotherapy treatment further highlighted these differences: under static conditions, cancer cell death was prominent in the softer shell, whereas cells in the stiffer core remained resistant to cisplatin. Conversely, drug diffusion was more homogeneous in the core–shell structured treated in the organ-on-chip, leading to a uniform reduction in cell viability. These findings suggest that integrating a compartmentalised core–shell cell laden alginate model with the millifluidic organ on chip offers a more physiologically relevant experimental approach to deepening cancer cell behaviour and drug response. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Properties and Applications of Biomaterials Related to Gels (3rd Edition))
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