- 1School of Rehabilitation Sciences and Engineering, University of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Qingdao, China
- 2Wenzhou Institute, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wenzhou, China
- 3Cellulose and Paper Department, National Research Centre, Cairo, Egypt
- 4Qingdao Hospital, Qingdao Municipal Hospital, University of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Qingdao, China
Editorial on the Research Topic
Adhesive hydrogels: design, fabrication, and bio-applications
Adhesive hydrogels have been appealing as emerging biomedical materials for high demand for fundamental research and practical biomedical applications owing to inherent self-adhesiveness, flexible structure, dynamic mechanical properties, and near-physiological environment (Hao et al., 2022; Li et al., 2022; Mei et al., 2022). The integrated adhesion between the hydrogel interface and surrounding tissues is one of the most critical interactions that offer overall robustness and reliability during specific environment (Duan et al., 2023b; Han et al., 2023; Zeng et al., 2023). Based on their unique (bio) physicochemical features above, adhesive hydrogels have been applied in numerous indications, including implant scaffolds in tissue engineering, hemostasis, mucosal adhesives to extend the administration site time, and bio-adhesives in place of wounds to reduce infection (Hao et al., 2022; Ko and Liao, 2023; Zhao et al., 2023). In addition, therapeutic cells and drug molecules can be transported by adhesive hydrogels and released at the injury site to enhance efficacy (Duan et al., 2023a; Zhang et al., 2023). Adhesive hydrogels perform suitably in clinical investigations for soft tissue regeneration, anti-exudation, medicine distribution, and other applications. This Research Topic focuses on the recent advances regarding adhesive hydrogels and their biomedical applications, aiming to provide a reference for researchers in related fields. We have collected nine original research articles.
These groundbreaking materials, the result of meticulous design considerations and inventive processes for fabrication, have the potential to redefine bio-applications and change medical technology. This takes us on an expedition into the fascinating world of adhesive hydrogels, exploring their sophisticated production processes, varied design, and an incredible range of revolutionary bio-application they provide. In original research articles on this Research Topic about the regulation of biomaterial base Adhesive hydrogel for tissue repair and regeneration, Zhu et al. developed an adhesive hydrogel for loading of conditioned medium (CM) based on Gel-MA (CM/Gel-MA), which was greatly adhesive and favors the stable retention of CM. CM/Gel-MA boosted the activity of endometrial stromal cells (ESCs), promoting cell proliferation and reducing α-SMA, collagen I, CTGF, E-cadherin, and IL-6 expression to reduce the inflammatory response and inhibit fibrosis. CM/Gel-MA hydrogel prevented uterine adhesion (IUA) through physical barriers from adhesive hydrogel and functional promotion from CM. Qu et al. prepared a hyaluronic acid (HA) and Bletilla striata polysaccharide (BSP) based dissolving microneedle patches (MNs) to mediate mesoporous polydopamine nanoparticles (MPDA) loaded with Triamcinolone acetonide (TA) as the transmucosal delivery system to treat oral mucositis (OM). A@MPDA-HA/BSP MNs possessed well-arranged microneedles, good penetration efficiency, quick dissolution in 3 min, excellent biocompatibility, and anti-inflammatory effects. MNs decreased oral ulcer area and inflammatory factor levels such as TNF-α and CD31. Yang et al. introduced an innovative method using oxidized regenerated cellulose and fibrin glue to prevent air leakage following lung segmentectomy. Their approach revealed efficacy in an ex vivo porcine lung model, suggesting a potential alternative to existing methods. Li et al. proposed a novel hydrogel-based method for enumerating fetomaternal hemorrhage, a critical factor in preventing newborn hemolytic diseases. Their approaches offer a clinically applicable prenatal diagnosis technique, addressing the limitations of traditional methods.
In contrast, biomaterials have been commonly used in antimicrobial/cancer applications. For antimicrobial research, Wei et al. addressed the challenges of cytotoxicity in silver nanoparticles by developing a coating technique using polydopamine. This approach enhanced antibacterial properties and biocompatibility, presenting a promising route for diverse medical applications. In addition, Hajizadeh et al. presented a solution for capturing haemin using albumin-based cryogels, showcasing higher binding capacity and reaction rates compared to conventional approaches. Their work has potential implications for preventing alloimmunization. Wang et al. explored shape-memory fibers for tissue regeneration, particularly in the osteogenic differentiation of stem cells. They demonstrate enhanced shape recovery and mechanical properties by manipulating fiber structure and programming parameters, offering new avenues for biomaterial applications.
In conclusion, the original research papers in this Research Topic indicate adhesive hydrogels broadly impact tissue healing, regeneration, drug delivery, and infection control. Researchers from Sweden and China cooperate to usher in a new biomedical era, stressing the significance of the accomplishment globally. These groundbreaking findings demonstrate the dynamic potential of adhesive hydrogels, revolutionizing healthcare and allowing improved cures and treatments.
Author contributions
QZ: Conceptualization, Funding acquisition, Resources, Supervision, Writing–original draft. YL: Conceptualization, Writing–review and editing. MH: Writing–review and editing. TY: Writing–review and editing.
Acknowledgments
The Research Topic Editors deeply acknowledge the authors of all contributions composing this Research Topic. They also acknowledge all the reviewers’ constructive comments and engagement and the editorial support from Frontiers throughout the publication process.
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
Publisher’s note
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article, or claim that may be made by its manufacturer, is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.
References
Duan, N., Mei, L., Hu, L., Yin, X., Wei, X., Li, Y., et al. (2023a). Biomimetic, injectable, and self-healing hydrogels with sustained release of ranibizumab to treat retinal neovascularization. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 15, 6371–6384. doi:10.1021/acsami.2c17626
Duan, N., Zhang, L.-N., Bohara, R., Martin-Saldaña, S., Yang, F., Zhao, Y.-Y., et al. (2023b). Adhesive hydrogels in osteoarthritis: from design to application. Mil. Med. Res. 10, 4. doi:10.1186/s40779-022-00439-3
Han, Z., Deng, L., Chen, S., Wang, H., and Huang, Y. (2023). Zn2+-Loaded adhesive bacterial cellulose hydrogel with angiogenic and antibacterial abilities for accelerating wound healing. Burn. Trauma 11, tkac048. doi:10.1093/burnst/tkac048
Hao, Y., Yuan, C., Deng, J., Zheng, W., Ji, Y., and Zhou, Q. (2022). Injectable self-healing first-aid tissue adhesives with outstanding hemostatic and antibacterial performances for trauma emergency care. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 14, 16006–16017. doi:10.1021/acsami.2c00877
Ko, A., and Liao, C. (2023). Hydrogel wound dressings for diabetic foot ulcer treatment: status-quo, challenges, and future perspectives. BMEMat 2, e12037. doi:10.1002/bmm2.12037
Li, M., Liang, Y., Liang, Y., Pan, G., and Guo, B. (2022). Injectable stretchable self-healing dual dynamic network hydrogel as adhesive anti-oxidant wound dressing for photothermal clearance of bacteria and promoting wound healing of MRSA infected motion wounds. Chem. Eng. J. 427, 132039. doi:10.1016/j.cej.2021.132039
Mei, L., Zhang, D., Shao, H., Hao, Y., Zhang, T., Zheng, W., et al. (2022). Injectable and self-healing probiotics-loaded hydrogel for promoting superbacteria-infected wound healing. ACS Appl. Mater. Interfaces 14, 20538–20550. doi:10.1021/acsami.1c23713
Zeng, J., Sun, P., Zhao, Y., Fang, X., Wu, Z., and Qi, X. (2023). Bone mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes involved co-delivery and synergism effect with icariin via mussel-inspired multifunctional hydrogel for cartilage protection. Asian J. Pharm. Sci. 18, 100799. doi:10.1016/j.ajps.2023.100799
Zhang, D., Mei, L., Hao, Y., Yi, B., Hu, J., Wang, D., et al. (2023). A hydrogel-based first-aid tissue adhesive with effective hemostasis and anti-bacteria for trauma emergency management. Biomater. Res. 27, 56. doi:10.1186/s40824-023-00392-9
Zhao, Y., Yi, B., Hu, J., Zhang, D., Li, G., Lu, Y., et al. (2023). Double cross-linked biomimetic hyaluronic acid-based hydrogels with thermo-stimulated self-contraction and tissue adhesiveness for accelerating post-wound closure and wound healing. Adv. Funct. Mater. 33, 2300710. doi:10.1002/adfm.202300710
Keywords: adhesive hydrogels, biomaterials, biomedical applications, disease treatment, tissue repair and regeneration
Citation: Zhou Q, Liu Y, Hasanin MS and Yu T (2023) Editorial: Adhesive hydrogels: design, fabrication, and bio-applications. Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol. 11:1290228. doi: 10.3389/fbioe.2023.1290228
Received: 07 September 2023; Accepted: 11 September 2023;
Published: 21 September 2023.
Edited and reviewed by:
Hasan Uludag, University of Alberta, CanadaCopyright © 2023 Zhou, Liu, Hasanin and Yu. 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.
*Correspondence: Qihui Zhou, qihuizhou@uor.edu.cn; Yong Liu, y.liu@ucas.ac.cn; Mohamed Sayed Hasanin, sido_sci@yahoo.com; Tengbo Yu, ytb8912@163.com