In situ-formable, dynamic crosslinked poly(ethylene glycol) carrier for localized adeno-associated virus infection and reduced off-target effects.

The adeno-associated virus (AAV) is a potent vector for in vivo gene transduction and local therapeutic applications of AAVs, such as for skin ulcers, are expected. Localization of gene expression is important for the safety and efficiency of genetic therapies. We hypothesized that gene expression could be localized by designing biomaterials using poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) as a carrier. Here we show one of the designed PEG carriers effectively localized gene expression on the ulcer surface and reduced off-target effects in the deep skin layer and the liver, as a representative organ to assess distant off-target effects, using a mouse skin ulcer model. The dissolution dynamics resulted in localization of the AAV gene transduction. The designed PEG carrier may be useful for in vivo gene therapies using AAVs, especially for localized expression.

Molecular Weight-Dependent Diffusion, Biodistribution, and Clearance Behavior of Tetra-Armed Poly(ethylene glycol) Subcutaneously Injected into the Back of Mice.

Four-armed poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)s are essential hydrophilic polymers extensively utilized to prepare PEG hydrogels, which are valuable tissue scaffolds. When hydrogels are used in vivo, they eventually dissociate due to cleavage of the backbone structure. When the cleavage occurs at the cross-linking point, the hydrogel elutes as an original polymer unit, i.e., four-armed PEG. Although four-armed PEGs have been utilized as subcutaneously implanted biomaterials, the diffusion, biodistribution, and clearance behavior of four-armed PEG from the skin are not fully understood. This paper investigates time-wise diffusion from the skin, biodistribution to distant organs, and clearance of fluorescence-labeled four-armed PEGs with molecular weight (Mw) ranging from 5-40 kg/mol subcutaneously injected into the back of mice. Changes over time indicated that the fate of subcutaneously injected PEGs is Mw-dependent. Four-armed PEGs with Mw ≤ 10 kg/mol gradually diffused to deep adipose tissue beneath the injection site and distributed dominantly to distant organs, such as the kidney. PEGs with Mw ≥ 20 kg/mol stagnated in the skin and deep adipose tissue and were mainly delivered to the heart, lung, and liver. The fundamental understanding of the Mw-dependent behavior of four-armed PEGs is beneficial for preparing biomaterials using PEGs, providing a reference in the field of tissue engineering.

Silk-pectin hydrogel with superior mechanical properties, biodegradability, and biocompatibility.

A new method is developed to prepare silk hydrogels and silk-pectin hydrogels via dialysis against methanol to obtain hydrogels with high concentrations of silk fibroin. The relationship between the mechanical and biological properties and the structure of the silk-pectin hydrogels is subsequently evaluated. The present results suggest that pectin associates with silk molecules when the silk concentration exceeds 15 wt%, suggesting that a silk concentration of over 15 wt% is critical to construct interacting silk-pectin networks. The silk-pectin hydrogel reported here is composed of a heterogeneous network, which is different from fiber-reinforced, interpenetrated networks and double-network hydrogels, as well as high-stiffness hydrogels (elastic modulus of 4.7 ± 0.9 MPa, elastic stress limit of 3.9 ± 0.1 MPa, and elastic strain limit of 48.4 ± 0.5%) with regard to biocompatibility and biodegradability.

State of water, molecular structure, and cytotoxicity of silk hydrogels.

A novel technique was developed to regulate the bulk water content of silk hydrogels by adjusting the concentrations of silk proteins, which is helpful to investigate the effects of the state of water in polymeric hydrogel on its biological functions, such as cytotoxicity. Gelation of the silk hydrogel was induced with ethanol and its gelation behavior was analyzed by rheometry. The silk hydrogels prepared at various silk concentrations were characterized with respect to their water content, molecular and network structures, state of water, mechanical properties, and cytotoxicity to human mesenchymal stem cells. The network structure of silk hydrogel was heterogeneous with ß-sheet and fibrillar structures. The influence of the state of water in the silk hydrogel on the cytotoxicity was recognized by means of differential scanning calorimetry and cell proliferation assay, which revealed that the bound water will support cell-adhesion proteins in the cellular matrix to interact with the surface of the silk hydrogels.