Hydrogel bio-adhesives using phenylboronic acid conjugated hyaluronic acid and dopamine conjugated chondroitin sulfate for scavenging ROS and regulating macrophage polarization

Designing multifunctional hydrogel bio-adhesives that simultaneously scavenge reactive oxygen species (ROS) and regulate macrophage polarization to achieve injury sealing and tissue regeneration efficiently remains challenging. In this work, we developed a potent hydrogel bio-adhesive by borate crosslinking of phenylboronic acid conjugated hyaluronic acid (HA-PBA) and dopamine conjugated chondroitin sulfate (CHS-DA). The influence of varying HA-PBA/CHS-DA ratios on hydrogel properties was systematically investigated. The hydrogels were characterized using techniques including Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and reactive oxygen species scavenging assays. Results showed that the hydrogels exhibited good injectability and strong adhesion to the surfaces of various materials and organs, including rubber, metal, plastic, skin, heart, liver, stomach, and tongue. In addition, the bio-adhesives also displayed excellent cytocompatibility, cell pro-migration ability, pro-angiogenic capacity, and efficient intracellular reactive oxygen species scavenging. Furthermore, the hydrogel bio-adhesives demonstrated efficient intracellular ROS scavenging in fibroblast and RAW 264.7 cells. Moreover, the bio-adhesives revealed efficient macrophage polarization potential, shifting from pro-inflammatory (M1) to anti-inflammatory (M2). The available results confirmed the potential of the developed hydrogel bio-adhesives for injury-healing and tissue-regeneration applications.