Plasma-based fast-gelling biohybrid gels for biomedical applications

Sci Rep. 2019 Jul 26;9(1):10881. doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-47366-3.

Abstract

Blood based biomaterials are widely researched and used in different biomedical applications including cell therapy, drug delivery, sealants etc. due to their biocompatibility and biodegradability. Blood derived gels are successfully used in clinical studies due to the presence of fibrinogen and several platelet growth factors. In spite of their wide applications, it is challenging to use blood-based biomaterials due to their low mechanical stability, poor adhesive property and contamination risk. In this study, we used porcine plasma to form gel in presence of biodegradable synthetic crosslinkers. Mechanical strength of this plasma gel could be tailored by altering the amount of crosslinkers for any desired biomedical applications. These plasma gels, formed by the synthetic crosslinkers, were utilized as a drug delivery platform for wound healing due to their low cytotoxicity. A model drug release study with these plasma gels indicated slow and sustained release of the drugs.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Biocompatible Materials
  • Blood Platelets / metabolism*
  • Blood Platelets / pathology
  • Cross-Linking Reagents / chemistry
  • Drug Delivery Systems / methods*
  • Drug Liberation
  • Fibrinogen / metabolism*
  • Gels / metabolism*
  • Humans
  • Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins / metabolism*
  • Plasma / metabolism*
  • Rifampin / pharmacology
  • Wound Healing

Substances

  • Biocompatible Materials
  • Cross-Linking Reagents
  • Gels
  • Intercellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins
  • Fibrinogen
  • Rifampin