Spider silk-inspired hyaluronic acid-based hydrogels with superior self-healing capability and enhanced strength

Date

2025

Authors

Yang, K.
Zhou, D.
Wang, Y.
Chen, R.
Dong, Q.
Xiao, P.
Zhou, Y.
Zhang, J.

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ChemSusChem, 2025; 18(1, article no. e202400769):1-10

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Abstract

Hyaluronic acid hydrogels are promising materials for diverse applications, yet their potential is hampered by limitations such as low self-healing efficiency and insufficient mechanical strength. Inspired by the heterogeneous structures of spider silk, we introduce a novel dual dynamically crosslinked network hydrogel. This hydrogel comprises an acylhydrazone-crosslinked network, utilizing aldehyde hyaluronic acid (AHA) and 3,3′-dithiobis (propionohydrazide) (DTP) as a first network, and a secondary network formed by hydrogen bonds-crosslinked network between tannic acid (TA) and silk fibroin (SF) with β-sheet formation. The hydrogel exhibits exceptional self-healing ability due to the dynamic and reversible nature of Schiff base bonds, disulfide bonds, and hydrogen bonds, achieving complete healing within 5 minutes. Additionally, the spider silk-inspired heterogeneous structures enhance mechanical properties. Furthermore, the incorporation of TA provides enhances adhesion, as well as remarkable antibacterial and antioxidant properties. This innovative hyaluronic acid-based hydrogel, inspired by spider silk, offers a promising avenue to fortify both the mechanical strength and self-healing capabilities of hydrogels, thus expanding opportunities for applications in tissue engineering and biomedicine.

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Data source: Supporting information, https://doi.org/10.1002/cssc.202400769

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Copyright 2024 The Authors. ChemSusChem published by Wiley-VCH GmbH. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License, which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/) Access Condition Notes: Open Access publishing facilitated by University of South Australia, as part of the Wiley – University of South Australia agreement via the Council of Australian University Librarians.

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