Injectable Kappa-Carrageenan-Graphene Hydrogel: Properties and Biomedical Applications for Cartilage Tissue Engineering

Background and Aim: Injectable hydrogels are examined for cellencapsulation and delivery as they can shield cells from high shearforces. Kappa-carrageenan is a natural polysaccharide closely resemblingthe native glycosaminoglycan structure, one of the most importantconstituents of cartilage tissues extracellular matrix. The aim of this studyis to modify photo-crosslinkable Kappa-carrageenan-graphene basedfor cartilage tissue engineering. By creating the injectable hydrogel,injectable therapy will be achieved, which has an unparalleled advantagein which intricate therapy sites like cartilage, can be easily targeted withminimally invasive procedures.Methods: In this respect, methacrylate Kappa-carrageenan (KaMA)was primarily synthesized to create chemically crosslinked hydrogelsemphasizing their use in the context of tissue engineering. Consequently,KaMA-Graphene based nanocomposite was synthesized using grapheneoxide (GO) and by increasing interaction with polymers resultingin the formation of shear-thinning hydrogels. Here in parallel, wedevelop another versatile 2D nanomaterial, GO functionalized withpoly(dopamine) (GOPD).Results: Results showed that incorporation of GOPD significantlyimproved the mechanical properties of KaMA hydrogel and also it didnot have bad properties of graphene oxide usage. The combination ofchemical and physical crosslinking procedures enables the formation ofhydrogels with highly versatile physical and chemical properties, in orderto mention the viability of encapsulated cells.Conclusion: Ultimately, Kappa-Carrageenan-Graphene engineeredsystems such as these shows the potential for use as 3D cell culturescaffolds in cartilage tissue engineering, owing to their high-watercontent, similarity to the natural extracellular matrix (ECM), minimalinvasive properties, to match irregular defects.