Tendon decellularized bio-adhesives interpenetrated by genipin crosslinked chitosan with ROS scavenging capability and hemocompatibility

Decellularized extracellular matrix (dECM) has been widely used in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine due to its excellent biocompatibility and biological activities. In this work, the dECM was obtained by treating porcine Achilles tendon tissue via a combination of chemical, physical, and biological approaches. The obtained dECM was interpenetrated with genipin crosslinked quaternary ammonium chitosan (QCS) network to fabricate the composite genipin/QCS/dECM (QGD) hydrogels. The prepared QGD hydrogels exhibited an interconnected microstructure and a suitable water-absorption capacity. Furthermore, the QGD hydrogels exhibited strong adhesion to the surfaces of different matrices and various organs, including lung, liver, trachea, heart, and spleen. The remodelling of dECM gave the QGD hydrogels adjustable self-healing ability and mechanical properties. In addition, the QGD bio-adhesives exhibit effective antibacterial activity against the typical Gram-positive S. aureus and Gram-negative E. coli . 2,2′-Azinobis-(3-ethylbenzthiazoline-6-sulphonate) (ABTS) radical scavenging and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging tests confirmed the antioxidant abilities of QGD hydrogels, and the cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) scavenging potential was also investigated using RAW264.7 cells. Furthermore, the QGD hydrogels possessed excellent hemocompatibility, cytocompatibility, and cell pro-migration abilities. The results confirmed that the proposed QGD hydrogels could serve as potential bioadhesives for biomedical applications.