Strong, antioxidant, and biodegradable gelatin methacryloyl composite hydrogel for oxidative stress protection in Schwann cells
Gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA), a biomaterial widely used in tissue engineering, exhibits excellent biocompatibility and cell adhesion properties. However, its poor mechanical strength and functional monotony restrict broader clinical applications of this material. In this study, we introduced sodium...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fbioe.2025.1586380/full |
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| author | Hongyang Han Dongcao Ji Shu Yang Bo Pang Xi Chen Jiaqi Zhu Jiaqi Zhu Wenxin Cao Wenxin Cao Tao Song |
| author_facet | Hongyang Han Dongcao Ji Shu Yang Bo Pang Xi Chen Jiaqi Zhu Jiaqi Zhu Wenxin Cao Wenxin Cao Tao Song |
| author_sort | Hongyang Han |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA), a biomaterial widely used in tissue engineering, exhibits excellent biocompatibility and cell adhesion properties. However, its poor mechanical strength and functional monotony restrict broader clinical applications of this material. In this study, we introduced sodium acrylate (SA) and tannic acid (TA) into the GelMA system via a two-step crosslinking strategy, successfully fabricating a GelMA/SA–TA (GST) composite hydrogel that achieved dual enhancement of mechanical and antioxidant properties. The incorporation of SA and TA significantly improved the mechanical performance of the hydrogel, which exhibited a maximum tensile modulus of 31.83 ± 2.84 kPa. At the same time, TA endowed the hydrogel with exceptional antioxidant ability, resulting in a free radical scavenging rate of 89.93% ± 0.9% in vitro. Biological tests revealed that the GST hydrogel effectively alleviated oxidative stress damage in rat Schwann cells (RSC96) by suppressing the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and promoting the secretion of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). This work presents the first report of an antioxidant hydrogel capable of protecting Schwann cells without compromising their mechanical integrity, highlighting its transformative potential for peripheral nerve injury repair. The synergistic SA–TA modification strategy provides new insights into the design of multifunctional biomaterials for neural regeneration applications. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-00d08e8693eb48c7a3d77994b76d650d |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2296-4185 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology |
| spelling | doaj-art-00d08e8693eb48c7a3d77994b76d650d2025-08-20T03:07:35ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology2296-41852025-06-011310.3389/fbioe.2025.15863801586380Strong, antioxidant, and biodegradable gelatin methacryloyl composite hydrogel for oxidative stress protection in Schwann cellsHongyang Han0Dongcao Ji1Shu Yang2Bo Pang3Xi Chen4Jiaqi Zhu5Jiaqi Zhu6Wenxin Cao7Wenxin Cao8Tao Song9NHC Key Laboratory of Cell Transplantation, The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, School of Stomatology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, ChinaCenter for Composite Materials and Structures, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, ChinaNHC Key Laboratory of Cell Transplantation, The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, School of Stomatology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, ChinaNHC Key Laboratory of Cell Transplantation, The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, School of Stomatology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, ChinaNHC Key Laboratory of Cell Transplantation, The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, School of Stomatology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, ChinaCenter for Composite Materials and Structures, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, ChinaZhengzhou Research Institute, Harbin Institute of Technology, Zhengzhou, ChinaCenter for Composite Materials and Structures, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin, ChinaZhengzhou Research Institute, Harbin Institute of Technology, Zhengzhou, ChinaNHC Key Laboratory of Cell Transplantation, The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, School of Stomatology, Harbin Medical University, Harbin, ChinaGelatin methacryloyl (GelMA), a biomaterial widely used in tissue engineering, exhibits excellent biocompatibility and cell adhesion properties. However, its poor mechanical strength and functional monotony restrict broader clinical applications of this material. In this study, we introduced sodium acrylate (SA) and tannic acid (TA) into the GelMA system via a two-step crosslinking strategy, successfully fabricating a GelMA/SA–TA (GST) composite hydrogel that achieved dual enhancement of mechanical and antioxidant properties. The incorporation of SA and TA significantly improved the mechanical performance of the hydrogel, which exhibited a maximum tensile modulus of 31.83 ± 2.84 kPa. At the same time, TA endowed the hydrogel with exceptional antioxidant ability, resulting in a free radical scavenging rate of 89.93% ± 0.9% in vitro. Biological tests revealed that the GST hydrogel effectively alleviated oxidative stress damage in rat Schwann cells (RSC96) by suppressing the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and promoting the secretion of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). This work presents the first report of an antioxidant hydrogel capable of protecting Schwann cells without compromising their mechanical integrity, highlighting its transformative potential for peripheral nerve injury repair. The synergistic SA–TA modification strategy provides new insights into the design of multifunctional biomaterials for neural regeneration applications.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fbioe.2025.1586380/fullgelatin methacryloylperipheral nerve injurytannic acidSchwann cellantioxidant |
| spellingShingle | Hongyang Han Dongcao Ji Shu Yang Bo Pang Xi Chen Jiaqi Zhu Jiaqi Zhu Wenxin Cao Wenxin Cao Tao Song Strong, antioxidant, and biodegradable gelatin methacryloyl composite hydrogel for oxidative stress protection in Schwann cells Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology gelatin methacryloyl peripheral nerve injury tannic acid Schwann cell antioxidant |
| title | Strong, antioxidant, and biodegradable gelatin methacryloyl composite hydrogel for oxidative stress protection in Schwann cells |
| title_full | Strong, antioxidant, and biodegradable gelatin methacryloyl composite hydrogel for oxidative stress protection in Schwann cells |
| title_fullStr | Strong, antioxidant, and biodegradable gelatin methacryloyl composite hydrogel for oxidative stress protection in Schwann cells |
| title_full_unstemmed | Strong, antioxidant, and biodegradable gelatin methacryloyl composite hydrogel for oxidative stress protection in Schwann cells |
| title_short | Strong, antioxidant, and biodegradable gelatin methacryloyl composite hydrogel for oxidative stress protection in Schwann cells |
| title_sort | strong antioxidant and biodegradable gelatin methacryloyl composite hydrogel for oxidative stress protection in schwann cells |
| topic | gelatin methacryloyl peripheral nerve injury tannic acid Schwann cell antioxidant |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fbioe.2025.1586380/full |
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