The Role of Polymer Additives in Hydrogel Functionalization

A special issue of Gels (ISSN 2310-2861).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2018) | Viewed by 20802

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
School of Biological Sciences, Louisiana Tech University, Ruston, LA 71272, USA
Interests: cancer biomaterials; bioengineering; implant design; surface modification; targeted drug delivery; tissue engineering; 3D printing
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Hydrogels are highly hydrated three-dimensional (3D) networks of cross-linked hydrophilic polymer chains and have been widely explored for use as bioactive delivery agents, cell carriers, consumer products, tissue engineering scaffolds, and for wound healing. Hydrogels can be tailored for different chemical, electrical, mechanical and thermal properties and can even be made to conduct electricity. Recent trends have focused on incorporating carbon-based nanomaterials, clay nanomaterials, metallic and polymeric nanoparticles within the polymeric network to create hybrid, multi-composite and multi-responsive hydrogels.

The goal of this Special Issue is to focus attention on the synergies resulting from the combination of these materials. Nanoparticles can significantly enhance or modulate the electrical, bioinductive, pH, thermal or photoresponse. This Special Issue will feature recent advances in this field, focusing on pharmaceutical and regenerative medical applications, and the use of natural and synthetic additives that impart unique, novel or critical functionalities. Manuscripts that address recent advances combining nanoparticles and hydrogels and highlight the synergic combination for the design of hydrogel systems are especially welcome.

Prof. Dr. David K. Mills
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • additives
  • biomedicine
  • hydrogel
  • functionalities

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

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12 pages, 8350 KiB  
Article
A Comparative Study of a 3D Bioprinted Gelatin-Based Lattice and Rectangular-Sheet Structures
by Shweta Anil Kumar, Nishat Tasnim, Erick Dominguez, Shane Allen, Laura J. Suggs, Yoshihiro Ito and Binata Joddar
Gels 2018, 4(3), 73; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels4030073 - 4 Sep 2018
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 6328
Abstract
3D bioprinting holds great promise in the field of regenerative medicine as it can create complex structures in a layer-by-layer manner using cell-laden bioinks, making it possible to imitate native tissues. Current bioinks lack both high printability and biocompatibility required in this respect. [...] Read more.
3D bioprinting holds great promise in the field of regenerative medicine as it can create complex structures in a layer-by-layer manner using cell-laden bioinks, making it possible to imitate native tissues. Current bioinks lack both high printability and biocompatibility required in this respect. Hence, the development of bioinks that exhibit both properties is needed. In our previous study, a furfuryl-gelatin-based bioink, crosslinkable by visible light, was used for creating mouse mesenchymal stem cell-laden structures with a high fidelity. In this study, lattice mesh geometries were printed in a comparative study to test against the properties of a traditional rectangular-sheet. After 3D printing and crosslinking, both structures were analysed for swelling and rheological properties, and their porosity was estimated using scanning electron microscopy. The results showed that the lattice structure was relatively more porous with enhanced rheological properties and exhibited a lower degradation rate compared to the rectangular-sheet. Further, the lattice allowed cells to proliferate to a greater extent compared to the rectangular-sheet, which initially retained a lower number of cells. All of these results collectively affirmed that the lattice poses as a superior scaffold design for tissue engineering applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Role of Polymer Additives in Hydrogel Functionalization)
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Review

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28 pages, 3634 KiB  
Review
Hydrogel-Based Drug Delivery Nanosystems for the Treatment of Brain Tumors
by João Basso, Ana Miranda, Sandra Nunes, Tânia Cova, João Sousa, Carla Vitorino and Alberto Pais
Gels 2018, 4(3), 62; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels4030062 - 19 Jul 2018
Cited by 92 | Viewed by 13384
Abstract
Chemotherapy is commonly associated with limited effectiveness and unwanted side effects in normal cells and tissues, due to the lack of specificity of therapeutic agents to cancer cells when systemically administered. In brain tumors, the existence of both physiological barriers that protect tumor [...] Read more.
Chemotherapy is commonly associated with limited effectiveness and unwanted side effects in normal cells and tissues, due to the lack of specificity of therapeutic agents to cancer cells when systemically administered. In brain tumors, the existence of both physiological barriers that protect tumor cells and complex resistance mechanisms to anticancer drugs are additional obstacles that hamper a successful course of chemotherapy, thus resulting in high treatment failure rates. Several potential surrogate therapies have been developed so far. In this context, hydrogel-based systems incorporating nanostructured drug delivery systems (DDS) and hydrogel nanoparticles, also denoted nanogels, have arisen as a more effective and safer strategy than conventional chemotherapeutic regimens. The former, as a local delivery approach, have the ability to confine the release of anticancer drugs near tumor cells over a long period of time, without compromising healthy cells and tissues. Yet, the latter may be systemically administered and provide both loading and targeting properties in their own framework, thus identifying and efficiently killing tumor cells. Overall, this review focuses on the application of hydrogel matrices containing nanostructured DDS and hydrogel nanoparticles as potential and promising strategies for the treatment and diagnosis of glioblastoma and other types of brain cancer. Some aspects pertaining to computational studies are finally addressed. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Role of Polymer Additives in Hydrogel Functionalization)
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