Caroliny Oliveira Cavalcante

Visiting PhD Student (Federal University of Pernambuco, Brazil)

Alginate-based hydrogels enriched with natural bioactive agents for bone regeneration

 

Supervisor in Brazil: Professor Dr. Severino Alves Júnior (Federal University of Pernambuco, Brazil)

Supervisor in Erlangen: Professor Aldo R. Boccaccini

One promising material for stimulating tissue regeneration is sodium alginate, a natural hydrogel derived from brown algae, which is widely utilized in biomedical applications. However, its high molecular weight results in slow degradation. To mitigate this issue, oxidized alginate (ADA) is employed, facilitating faster degradation and stronger bonding with proteins [1]. Additionally, gelatin (GEL), composed of amino acids like glycine, and arginine, can be incorporated in alginate based scaffolds due to its biological activity. ADA-GEL hydrogels promote cell growth, differentiation, and tissue regeneration, making them suitable for applications such as 3D bioprinting and drug delivery [2]. The focus of this project is on incorporating bioactive agents to introduce antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties to ADA-GEL, thereby enhancing the material’s efficiency and making it a promising candidate for bone regeneration, following initial studies at the FAU Institute of Biomaterials [3]. The project represents a collaboration between the FAU Institute of Biomaterials and the Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE) in Brazil, funded by CAPES through the Sandwich Doctoral Program Abroad (PDSE).

[1] Reakasame, S. et al. (2018) Oxidized Alginate-Based Hydrogels for Tissue Engineering Applications: A Review; Biomacromolecules 19; 3-21.

[2] Heid, S., et al. (2022) Bioprinting with bioactive alginate dialdehyde-gelatin (ADA-GEL) composite bioinks: Time-dependent in-situ crosslinking via addition of calcium-silicate particles tunes in vitro stability of 3D bioprinted constructs, Bioprinting 26, e00200.

[3] Bider, F. et al. (2024) 3D bioprinting of multifunctional alginate dialdehyde (ADA)-gelatin (GEL) (ADA-GEL) hydrogels incorporating ferulic acid, Int. Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 257, 128449.