Injectable Nanocomposite Hydrogels of Gelatin-Hyaluronic Acid Reinforced with Hybrid Lysozyme Nanofibrils-Gold Nanoparticles for the Regeneration of Damaged Myocardium

abstract

Biopolymeric injectablehydrogels are promising biomaterialsformyocardial regeneration applications. Besides being biocompatible,they adjust themselves, perfectly fitting the surrounding tissue.However, due to their nature, biopolymeric hydrogels usually lackdesirable functionalities, such as antioxidant activity and electricalconductivity, and in some cases, mechanical performance. Protein nanofibrils(NFs), such as lysozyme nanofibrils (LNFs), are proteic nanostructureswith excellent mechanical performance and antioxidant activity, whichcan work as nanotemplates to produce metallic nanoparticles. Here,gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) were synthesized in situ in the presenceof LNFs, and the obtained hybrid AuNPs@LNFs were incorporated intogelatin-hyaluronic acid (HA) hydrogels for myocardial regenerationapplications. The resulting nanocomposite hydrogels showed improvedrheological properties, mechanical resilience, antioxidant activity,and electrical conductivity, especially for the hydrogels containingAuNPs@LNFs. The swelling and bioresorbability ratios of these hydrogelsare favorably adjusted at lower pH levels, which correspond to theones in inflamed tissues. These improvements were observed while maintainingimportant properties, namely, injectability, biocompatibility, andthe ability to release a model drug. Additionally, the presence ofAuNPs allowed the hydrogels to be monitorable through computer tomography.This work demonstrates that LNFs and AuNPs@LNFs are excellent functionalnanostructures to formulate injectable biopolymeric nanocompositehydrogels for myocardial regeneration applications.

keywords

AMYLOID FIBRILS; CELLS; IDENTIFICATION; PEPTIDES; INSULIN

subject category

Science & Technology - Other Topics; Materials Science

authors

Carvalho, T; Bártolo, R; Pedro, SN; Valente, BFA; Pinto, RJB; Vilela, C; Shahbazi, MA; Santos, HA; Freire, CSR

Groups

G4 - Renewable Materials and Circular Economy

Projects

CICECO - Aveiro Institute of Materials (UIDB/50011/2020)

CICECO - Aveiro Institute of Materials (UIDP/50011/2020)

Associated Laboratory CICECO-Aveiro Institute of Materials (LA/P/0006/2020)

InPaCTus - Innovative Products and Technologies from Eucalyptus Project (InPacTus)

acknowledgements

This work was developed wit h i n the scope of the project CICECO-Aveiro Institute of Materials, UIDB/50011/2020, UIDP/50011/2020 and LA/P/0006/2020, financed by national funds through the FCT/MCTES (PIDDAC). The Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) is also acknowledged for the doctoral grants to T.C. (SFRH/BD/130458/2017) and S.N.P. (SFRH/BD/132584/2017), and to the research contracts under Scientific Employment Stimulus to C.V. (CEECIND/00263/2018 and 2021.01571.CEECIND) and C.S.R.F. (CEECIND/00464/2017). B.F.A.V. acknowledges Project inpactus, Project No 21874 funded by Portugal 2020 in the frame of COMPETE 2020 no 246/AXIS II/2017. The research contract of R.J.B.P. was funded by national funds (OE), through FCT in the scope of the framework contract foreseen in the numbers 4, 5, and 6 of the article 23, of the Decree-Law 57/2016, of August 29, changed by Law 57/2017, of July 19. H.A.S. acknowledges financial support from the Sigrid Juselius Foundation, he Academy of Finland (grant no. 331151), and the UMCG Research Funds.