International journal of biological macromoleculesJan 10, 2025

Light- and heat-activated chitosan hydrogel membrane to support bone healing

Regenerative Health Weekly Brief ↗PubMed ↗DOI ↗

Updated Apr 6, 2026

Abstract

An injectable dual-crosslinked hydrogel was developed that may enhance guided bone regeneration (GBR) techniques.

The hydrogel matrix is made from methacrylated carboxymethyl chitosan reinforced with silk fibroin and functionalized with bioactive glass particles.
It demonstrated good biocompatibility, biodegradability, and resilience while effectively creating a barrier against human gingival fibroblasts.
The composite hydrogels improved the differentiation of bone marrow stem cells and promoted the formation of blood vessel-like structures.
In a rat skull defect model, the hydrogel's osteogenic performance was similar to that of collagen membranes.
The material serves as a stable carrier for bioactive ions and a scaffold for tissue growth.

Simplified

Alveolar bone defects caused by inflammation or trauma jeopardize patients' oral functions. Guided bone regeneration (GBR) is widely used in repairing periodontal tissue, with barrier membranes play a crucial role in preserving the bone regeneration space. In this study, an injectable dual-crosslinked hydrogel was developed to improve the existing barrier membranes in flexibility and functionality. The hydrogel matrix, composed of methacrylated carboxymethyl chitosan (CMCS) reinforced with robust silk fibroin (SF), was further functionalized with bioactive glass (BG) particles to promote bone regeneration. The pre-gel solution achieved a fast-curing process under visible light and at body temperature. Further, the composite hydrogels presented good biocompatibility, biodegradability, resilience, alongside in vitro barrier effect against human gingival fibroblasts (HGFs). It significantly enhanced osteogenic differentiation and angiogenesis of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs), facilitate the tube formation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), and inhibit Staphylococcus aureus and Porphyromonas gingivalis. In a rat skull defect model, the osteogenic performance of hydrogels was comparable with that of collagen membranes (Bio-Gide®). Overall, this in-situ gel-forming barrier material served as a stable carrier for bioactive ions and a biomineralized scaffold for tissue ingrowth, supporting the enhancement of GBR technique.

Full Text

Full text is available at the source.

View Full Text ↗

Funding

Competing interests

Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

PubMed

Light- and heat-activated chitosan hydrogel membrane to support bone healing

Abstract

Full Text

Funding

Competing interests

You found one interesting study. We’ll send the next 7.

What Lands in Your Inbox Each Week: