Enzyme-Triggered Formation of Tensegrity Structures for Mechanospatial Manipulation of Hydrogels
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Hydrogels with spatially programmable mechanical properties hold great potential for use in biomedical applications. Inspired by the architecture of the cytoskeleton, we present a strategy for constructing tensegrity-structured hydrogels (TS-Gels) through enzyme-triggered crystal growth to enable precise mechanospatial manipulation. Specifically, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) was covalently anchored to a polyacrylamide (PAAm) hydrogel matrix to catalyze the in situ dephosphorylation of phosphotyrosine precursors, leading to the formation of rigid tyrosine crystals. These crystals functioned as compressive sticks, establishing tensegrity structures within the hydrogel network. By tuning the crystallization kinetics, both the structural morphology and mechanical reinforcement could be precisely controlled. The resulting TS-Gels exhibited significantly enhanced local tensile strength and stiffness, allowing for spatial-mechanical patterning via photo-initiated printing, mold-assisted shaping, and laser engraving. Furthermore, the unique mechanospatial tunability of TS-Gels was demonstrated in tribological surface engineering, underscoring their potential for use in tissue engineering and responsive biomaterials.
Source: Gels
DOI: 10.3390/gels11080654
Language: English
Subfield: Molecular Medicine
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $2,534
Funders: National Natural Science Foundation of China, China Postdoctoral Science Foundation, Government of Jiangsu Province, Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province, Nanjing University, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, Natural Science Foundation of Anhui Province, National Key Research and Development Program of China, Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities
Awards: G114273664, G1179327100, G1218010579, G1236335178, G1357033618, G1538563137, G1558229947, G1577799765, G1578519710, G1602089578, G1718064775, G1799951137, G1927701628, G1973629204, G2005938085, G2006233126, G2084605770, G2093981517, G2142894255, G2354224364, G2401215569, G2486257664, G2558510358, G2654926702, G2862477276, G2871435831, G294923178, G3050710022, G3104719002, G3213838497, G3265963517, G3467930817, G3866899852, G388377703, G3900203807, G397444345, G4015271580, G4084806086, G4118812536, G4276281584, G4289328561, G4351492316, G4381647351, G4459938160, G4501381432, G45737042, G4605713335, G4669880366, G5011474033, G5028050061, G5042568627, G5100766657, G5148467132, G5197051261, G5325606713, G54368102, G5602657766, G5755784613, G5772059150, G5891348772, G5896552008, G6260666443, G631637096, G6379045970, G648213247, G6515503415, G6688635933, G6722938944, G6874047397, G6874195101, G7026470372, G7073140279, G7074909990, G7206097053, G7248876376, G7262773538, G7300619238, G7545316184, G7751411278, G783686387, G7974226182, G7979917258, G8018930782, G8104106935, G8137708363, G8203571060, G8229458940, G8245204099, G8534200091, G8548949485, G8570580772, G8633766570, G8710313336, G8715633373, G8739713308, G8803146987, G8835697109
OpenAlex ID: W4413279555