首页|VEGF loading heparinized hyaluronic acid macroporous hydrogels for enhanced 3D endothelial cell migration and vascularization

VEGF loading heparinized hyaluronic acid macroporous hydrogels for enhanced 3D endothelial cell migration and vascularization

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  • NETL
  • NSTL
  • Elsevier
The formation of robust vascular systems within voluminous scaffolds remains a formidable barrier in the realm of tissue engineering. There is a growing interest in the integration of biomaterial scaffolds with multiple physical and chemical stimuli to augment the process of vascularization. This study aims to investigate the combined impact of macroporous structures and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) on cell migration and vascularization. Heparinized hyaluronic acid (HepHA) macroporous hydrogels with differing pore sizes, composed by methacrylated hyaluronic acid (HAMA) and methacrylated heparin (HepMA), were fabricated by a gelatin microspheres (GMS) template leaching method. After characterization of their physical properties, VEGF was immobilized on the HepHA hydrogels. The in vitro release study indicated that the HepHA hydrogels can provide sustained release of VEGF. Subsequently, cells migration of human umbilical vein endothelial (HUVECs) assessment indicated that HUVECs cultured on VEGF-loaded HepHA hydrogels with larger pores (VEGF@He-pHA250) migrated the furthest. Finally, the hydrogels were implanted and evaluated using a dorsal subcutaneous model. The histological analyses conducted in vivo were consistent with the in vitro results, VEGF@HepHA250 hydrogels exhibited the most pronounced vascularization four weeks post-implantation, indicating that hydrogels with expanded pores and an enriched VEGF promoted angiogenesis within the hydrogels. This study sheds light on the synergistic effects of VEGF release on 3D cell migration and vascularization within hydrogels of differing pore sizes, thus providing novel insights into the strategic design and fabrication of tissue-engineered scaffolds that are amenable to vascularization.

PolysaccharidesMacroporous hydrogelPore sizesVEGF releaseVascularization

Daohuan Lu、Kehan Cai、Zhiwen Zeng、Jun Huang、Nianfang Ma、Botao Gao、Shan Yu

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Institute of Biological and Medical Engineering, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510316, China||National Engineering Research Center for Healthcare Devices, Institute of Biological and Medical Engineering, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510316, China||Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Medical Electronic Instruments and Materials, Institute of Biological and Medical Engineering, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510316, China

Biomedical Engineering Faculty, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2008, Australia

Institute of Biological and Medical Engineering, Guangdong Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou 510316, China

2025

10.1016/j.bioadv.2024.214094

Biomaterials Advances

Biomaterials Advances

ISSN：2772-9516
年,卷(期)：2025.167(Feb.)
  • 52