Injectable PEG Hydrogels with Tissue‐Like Viscoelasticity Formed through Reversible Alendronate–Calcium Phosphate Crosslinking for Cell–Material Interactions

Abstract: Synthetic hydrogels provide controllable 3D environments, which can be used to study fundamental biological phenomena. The growing body of evidence that cell behavior depends upon hydrogel stress relaxation creates a high demand for hydrogels with tissue‐like viscoelastic properties. Here, a unique platform of synthetic polyethylene glycol (PEG) hydrogels in which star‐shaped PEG molecules are conjugated with alendronate and/or RGD peptides, attaining modifiable degradability as well as flexible cell adhesion, is created. Novel reversible ionic interactions between alendronate and calcium phosphate nanoparticles, leading to versatile viscoelastic properties with varying initial elastic modulus and stress relaxation time, are identified. This new crosslinking mechanism provides shear‐thinning properties resulting in differential cellular responses between cancer cells and stem cells. The novel hydrogel system is an improved design to the other ionic crosslink platforms and opens new avenues for the development of pathologically relevant cancer models, as well as minimally invasive approaches for cell delivery for potential regenerative therapies.

Object Details

• Location: Deutsche Nationalbibliothek Frankfurt am Main
• Extent: Online-Ressource
• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Injectable PEG Hydrogels with Tissue‐Like Viscoelasticity Formed through Reversible Alendronate–Calcium Phosphate Crosslinking for Cell–Material Interactions ; day:14 ; month:06 ; year:2024 ; extent:16 ; Advanced healthcare materials ; (14.06.2024) (gesamt 16)

Contributors, Places and Time

• Creator: Yu, Hongqiang ; Yan, Ziqian ; Dreiss, Cecile A. ; Gaitano, Gustavo G. ; Jarvis, James A. ; Gentleman, Eileen ; da Silva, Ricardo M. P. ; Grigoriadis, Agamemnon E.

Further information

• DOI: 10.1002/adhm.202400472
• URN: urn:nbn:de:101:1-2406151413326.683906090612
• Rights: Open Access; Der Zugriff auf das Objekt ist unbeschränkt möglich.
• Last update: 14.08.2025, 10:58 AM CEST