Optimization of guanosine-based hydrogels with boric acid derivatives for enhanced long-term stability and cell survival
Author
Merino Gómez, Maria
Godoy Gallardo, Maria
Wendner, Mathias
Mateos Timoneda, Miguel A.
Gil Mur, Francisco Javier
Perez, Roman A.
Publication date
2023ISSN
2296-4185
Abstract
Tissue defects can lead to serious health problems and often require grafts or transplants to repair damaged soft tissues. However, these procedures can be complex and may not always be feasible due to a lack of available tissue. Hydrogels have shown potential as a replacement for tissue grafts due to their ability to support cell survival and encapsulate biomolecules such as growth factors. In particular, guanosine-based hydrogels have been explored as a potential solution, but they often exhibit limited stability which hampers their use in the biofabrication of complex grafts. To address this issue, we explored the use of borate ester chemistry and more complex boric acid derivatives to improve the stability and properties of guanosine-based hydrogels. We hypothesized that the aromatic rings in these derivatives would enhance the stability and printability of the hydrogels through added π-π stack interactions. After optimization, 13 compositions containing either 2-naphthylboronic acid or boric acid were selected. Morphology studies shows a well-defined nanofibrilar structure with good printable properties (thixotropic behaviour, print fidelity and printability). Moreover, the pH of all tested hydrogels was within the range suitable for cell viability (7.4–8.3). Nevertheless, only the boric acid-based formulations were stable for at least 7 days. Thus, our results clearly demonstrated that the presence of additional aromatic rings did actually impair the hydrogel properties. We speculate that this is due to steric hindrance caused by adjacent groups, which disrupt the correct orientation of the aromatic groups required for effective π-π stack interactions of the guanosine building block. Despite this drawback, the developed guanosine-boric acid hydrogel exhibited good thixotropic properties and was able to support cell survival, proliferation, and migration. For instance, SaOS-2 cells planted on these printed structures readily migrated into the hydrogel and showed nearly 100% cell viability after 7 days. In conclusion, our findings highlight the potential of guanosine-boric acid hydrogels as tissue engineering scaffolds that can be readily enhanced with living cells and bioactive molecules. Thus, our work represents a significant advancement towards the development of functionalized guanosine-based hydrogels.
Document Type
Article
Document version
Published version
Language
English
Subject (CDU)
616.3 - Pathology of the digestive system. Complaints of the alimentary canal
Keywords
Hidrogels a base de guanosina
Derivats de l'àcid bòric
Nucleòsids
Impressió 3D
Imprimible hidrogels
Hidrogeles a base de guanosina
Derivados del ácido bórico
Nucleósido
Impresión 3D
Imprimible hidrogeles
Guanosine-based hydrogels
Boric acid derivatives
Nucleoside
3D printing
Printable hydrogels
Pages
16
Publisher
Frontiers Media
Collection
11
Is part of
Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology
Citation
Merino Gómez, Maria; Godoy Gallardo, Maria; Wendner, Mathias [et al.]. Optimization of guanosine-based hydrogels with boric acid derivatives for enhanced long-term stability and cell survival. Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology, 2023, 11, p. 1-16. Disponible en: <https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fbioe.2023.1147943/full>. Fecha de acceso: 24 abr. 2023. DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2023.1147943.
Link to the related item
This item appears in the following Collection(s)
- Odontologia [242]
Rights
© 2023 Merino-Gómez, Godoy-Gallardo, Wendner, Mateos-Timoneda, Gil and Perez. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
Except where otherwise noted, this item's license is described as https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/