Charge and receptor functional injectable hydrogels as cytokine-releasing reservoirs for wound healing

Collecting and utilizing various cytokines released by trauma and implantable materials for stimulating the body in producing a robust immune-inflammatory response would be a promising method. Therefore, an injectable “cytokine reservoir” hydrogel for cytokine management during tissue repair was developed by combining a dual network hydrogel of oxidized glucomannan aldehyde (KGM-CHO) and levodopa-grafted ε-polylysine (EPL-DOPA). The “cytokine reservoir” hydrogel actively recruited macrophages through electrostatic forces and regulated macrophages by mimicking “receptor-ligand” interactions to alter cytokine production patterns. Meanwhile, the dual network hydrogels recruited and stored cytokines by “charge” force then released them according to the degradation of hydrogels, leading to the change of cytokine release pattern. In conclusion, this study provided a unique insight in designing the cytokine management-based tissue engineering strategies for tissue repair.