A nano-bio-coordination dynamic hydrogel with photothermal effects and osteogenic activity for the treatment of osteosarcoma

Osteosarcoma (OS) constitutes a highly malignant bone tumor, prone to postoperative recurrence and marked bone loss, which presents substantial challenges to current clinical practice. To address these difficulties, we developed a dynamic hydrogel constructed via reversible Cu–S coordination bonds, endowed with injectability, self-healing capacity, and biodegradability.This hydrogel is composed of copper sulfide nanoparticles (CuS 2 NPs), thiolated osteogenic peptide (OGP-SH), and thiolated biomacromolecular gelatin (Gel-SH). The incorporation of copper sulfide nanoparticles imparts strong photothermal conversion properties to the hydrogel, enabling effective ablation of residual osteosarcoma cells upon irradiation with 808 nm near-infrared (NIR) light. Concurrently, the sustained release of osteogenic peptide and trace amounts of copper ions facilitates osteogenic differentiation and promotes bone regeneration. The hydrogel demonstrated excellent injectability, structural stability, rheological recovery capacity, as well as favorable biocompatibility, with a degradation rate of approximately 65 % within 14 days. The results of in vitro and in vivo studies substantiated its dual functionality in suppressing tumor recurrence and enhancing bone repair. The research data reveal that this hydrogel exhibits broad prospects as a multifunctional therapeutic vehicle for postoperative osteosarcoma management and skeletal tissue regeneration.