Fiber-reinforced colloidal gels as injectable and moldable biomaterials for regenerative medicine

Mani Diba, Alessandro Polini, Daniela Geta Petre, Yang Zhang, Sander C.G. Leeuwenburgh (Corresponding author)

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

19 Citations (Scopus)
45 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Hydrogels are the preferred material choice for various strategies in regenerative medicine. Nevertheless, due to their high water content and soft nature, these materials are often mechanically weak, which limits their applicability. This study demonstrates mechanical reinforcement of colloidal gels at microscale using discrete polyester fibers, as confirmed by rheological, compression and nanoindentation tests. This reinforcement strategy results in injectable and moldable colloidal gels with improved mechanical performance. The fully organic gels presented here are cytocompatible and can maintain their mechanical integrity under physiological conditions. Consequently, these gels exhibit a strong potential for applications in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)143-150
Number of pages8
JournalMaterials Science and Engineering C
Volume92
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Nov 2018

Keywords

  • Colloidal gel
  • Fiber reinforcement
  • Injectable gel
  • Moldable gel
  • Regenerative medicine
  • Self-healing
  • NIH 3T3 Cells
  • Biocompatible Materials/chemistry
  • Rheology
  • Fibroblasts/cytology
  • Hydrogels/chemistry
  • Elastic Modulus
  • Regenerative Medicine
  • Polyesters/chemistry
  • Compressive Strength
  • Animals
  • Nanoparticles/chemistry
  • Mice
  • Gelatin/chemistry

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