Peptide-based rigid nanorod-reinforced gelatin methacryloyl hydrogels for osteochondral regeneration and additive manufacturing.

ABSTRACT: Enhancing the toughness of hydrogels for biomedical applications remains a challenge, as many toughening approaches often sacrifice biocompatibility or in situ applicability, thereby restricting their broader utility in biomedical contexts. Inspired by the intervertebral disk, here, we introduce a biocompatible toughening strategy using peptide-based rigid nanorods (PRNs) as backbone supports within gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA) hydrogels. PRNs are short polymers with exceptional rigidity, capable of covalent cross-linking with GelMA molecules at both ends. Photocuring nanorod-supported GelMA (NSG) molecules yields NSG hydrogels, which demonstrate great improvements in compressive strength (1018%) and toughness (508%) compared to untreated GelMA hydrogels, alongside enhanced structural inte

SUBMITTER: Zhu J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12317061 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature