Injectable and self-healable supramolecular hydrogels assembled by quaternised chitosan/alginate polyelectrolyte complexation for sustained drug delivery and cell encapsulation.

Evidence from laboratory and animal studies provides groundwork for understanding mechanisms and potential before human studies continue.

• Level A · Stronger Clinical Evidence
• Level B · Emerging clinical evidence with positive signals
• Level C · Early human research exploring benefits
• Level D · Scientific groundwork from lab and animal studies
• Emerging · Emerging topic under active research

Abstract (original English)

Hydrogels formed through phase separation during the complexation of oppositely charged polymers have unique properties, including fast self-assembly, hierarchical microstructures, and tunable properties. These features make them highly attractive materials for various biomedical applications, such as drug delivery, protective coatings, and surface adhesives. Notably, injectable polyelectrolyte complex (PEC) supramolecular hydrogels stand out for their minimally invasive administration and reduced trauma and side effects, providing attractive alternatives to covalent hydrogels, which are constrained by the irreversibility of their crosslinks, limiting their versatility and broader applicability. Sustainable marine-origin polysaccharides have been used for developing hydrogels due to their proven biocompatibility, non-cytotoxicity and wide bioavailability from renewable resources. In particular, chitosan (CHT) and alginate (ALG) have been widely employed to develop hydrogels, taking advantage of their opposite charge nature. However, the limited solubility of CHT under physiological conditions limits the range of bioapplications. Herein, we report the development of size- and shape-tunable PEC supramolecular hydrogels encompassing water-soluble quaternised CHT and ALG biopolymers, under physiological conditions, by polyelectrolyte complexation. The rheological and mechanical pro

Evidence level

Evidence from laboratory and animal studies provides groundwork for understanding mechanisms and potential before human studies continue.

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