Visible light-crosslinked gelatin methacryloyl/hyaluronic acid methacryloyl hydrogels with chlorophyll for tissue regeneration

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

2025

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apmt.2025.102733

Abstract

Hydrogels are promising biomaterials for applications in regenerative medicine, such as wound healing, because of their ease of functionalization and versatile mechanical stiffness that matches that of the skin. However, their application is limited owing to the use of toxic ingredients, such as chemical crosslinkers, which induce inflammatory immune responses. To overcome this limitation, we used chlorophyll as an organic and biocompatible crosslinker. We synthesized gelatin methacrylate (GelMA) and hyaluronic acid methacrylate (HAMA) hydrogels and systematically identified the hydrogel percentages that displayed ideal swelling, degradation, mechanical properties, and biocompatibility. We then used chlorophyll as a crosslinker to engineer GelMA/HAMA composite hydrogels that exhibited ideal properties of both hydrogels. Notably, hydrogel crosslinking using chlorophyll can be performed using visible light as the illumination source. Our in-vitro and in-vivo findings showed that GelMA/HAMA composite hydrogels crosslinked with chlorophyll exhibited low degradation and high biocompatibility. These hydrogels also promoted wound healing without eliciting an inflammatory response, potentially because of the use of chlorophyll as a hydrogel crosslinker. The use of chlorophyll as a natural and biocompatible crosslinker presents a novel candidate with the potential to crosslink other existing hydrogel compositions to engineer biocompatible regenerative materials.

Source Publication

Applied Materials Today

Volume Number

44

ISSN

2352-9407

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