ab9b01482_si_001.pdf (118.32 kB)
Ferritin Nanocage Conjugated Hybrid Hydrogel for Tissue Engineering and Drug Delivery Applications
journal contribution
posted on 2019-11-19, 20:04 authored by Roya Samanipour, Ting Wang, Moritz Werb, Hamed Hassannezhad, Juan Manuel Ledesma Rangel, Mina Hoorfar, Anwarul Hasan, Chang Kee Lee, Su Ryon ShinHydrogels have recently been attractive in various drug
delivery
and tissue engineering applications because of their structural similarities
to the natural extracellular matrix. Despite enormous advances in
the application of hydrogels, poor mechanical properties and lack
of control for the release of drugs and biomolecules act as major
barriers for widespread clinical applications. To overcome these challenges,
we developed both physically and covalently conjugated nanocage-laden
hydrogels between the surface of the nanocage and a gelatin methacryloyl
(GelMA) hydrogel matrix. Ferritin and its empty-core equivalent apoferritin
were used as nanocages that could be easily incorporated into a GelMA
hydrogel via physical bonding. To fabricate covalently conjugated
nanocage-laden GelMA hydrogels, ferritin and apoferritin were chemically
modified to present the methacryloyl groups, ferritin methacryloyl
(FerMA) and apoferritin methacryloyl (ApoMA), respectively. The covalently
conjugated FerMA- and ApoMA-GelMA hydrogels offered a better ability
to tune mechanical properties compared with those prepared by direct
dispersion of ferritin and apoferritin into GelMA hydrogels with physical
bonding, without affecting their porosity or cell growth. Furthermore,
the ability of the nanocage to release small chemical compounds was
confirmed by performing a cumulative release test on fluorescein isothiocyanate
(FITC) encapsulated apoferritin and ApoMA incorporated GelMA hydrogels
by pH stimulus. Thus, the nanocage incorporated hydrogels have emerged
as excellent materials for drug delivery and tissue engineering applications.