Hydrogel Microspheres Research Articles

Theoretical/Experimental Study of the Heavy Metals in Poly(vinylalcohol)/Carboxymethyl Starch-g-Poly(vinyl imidazole)-Based Magnetic Hydrogel Microspheres

Theoretical/Experimental Study of the Heavy Metals in Poly(vinylalcohol)/Carboxymethyl Starch-g-Poly(vinyl imidazole)-Based Magnetic Hydrogel Microspheres

New Direction in Antimicrobial Delivery System: Preparation and Applications of Hydrogel Microspheres

Antimicrobial delivery systems have undergone extensive development, yet conventional carriers still exhibit limitations such as low loading capacity, inadequate controlled release mechanisms, and cytotoxicity. Recent studies have increasingly demonstrated the potential of Hydrogel Microspheres (HMSs) for antimicrobial delivery. These microspheres exhibit small dimensions, high drug-loading capacity, and the ability to achieve deep-targeted delivery, complemented by adjustable physicochemical properties and biocompatibility that create favorable conditions for antimicrobial transportation. This review systematically examines HMS preparation strategies, characteristic properties, transported antimicrobials, and therapeutic applications. Particular emphasis is placed on critical preparation parameters governing HMS performance, especially those influencing drug delivery dynamics. We conclude by addressing current challenges and proposing actionable strategies for material optimization and clinical translation. This work aims to advance HMS-based antimicrobial delivery systems for more effective infection control.

Manipulation of Oxygen Tension in Damaged Regions via Hypoxia-Induced IPN Hydrogel Microspheres for Intervertebral Disc Regeneration.

Disruption of low oxygen tension homeostasis during intervertebral disc degeneration inhibits endogenous stem cell viability and function, posing a challenge for endogenous regeneration. Here, to achieve sustained hypoxia manipulation, constructed hypoxia-inducible interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) hydrogel microspheres (HIMS) are constructed by microfluidics to integrate the hypoxic system with a stabilizing network. The IPN is synthesized through a two-step polymerization process, consisting of rapid photo-crosslinked gelatin methacrylate anhydride (GM) polymer I and slow enzyme-crosslinked vanillin-grafted gelatin (GV) polymer II. The enzymatic reaction between GV and laccase is able to create a hypoxic microenvironment to modulate oxygen tension in situ within the injured region. HIMS can reduce microenvironmental oxygen tension by 1/3 and maintain a hypoxic microenvironment for up to 5days, thereby activating the PI3K/AKT/HIF-1α signaling pathway in endogenous stem cells to promote differentiation into nucleus pulposus-like cells. Additionally, NSC-Exos are loaded onto HIMS to trigger endogenous progenitor/stem cell recruitment and migration. Both in vitro and in vivo assays demonstrate that NSC-Exos@HIMS facilitates stem cell recruitment, targets differentiation, and stimulates extracellular matrix synthesis. Overall, the microspheres established herein provide a novel strategy for manipulating oxygen tension and enhancing endogenous tissue regeneration in injured regions during intervertebral disc degeneration.

Recent advances in bioactive hydrogel microspheres: Material engineering strategies and biomedical prospects.

Recent advances in bioactive hydrogel microspheres: Material engineering strategies and biomedical prospects.

Injectable hydrogel microspheres promoting inflammation modulation and nucleus pulposus-like differentiation for intervertebral disc regeneration.

Injectable hydrogel microspheres promoting inflammation modulation and nucleus pulposus-like differentiation for intervertebral disc regeneration.

Injectable mineralized hydrogel microspheres for accelerated osteocyte network reconstruction and intelligent bone regeneration.

Injectable mineralized hydrogel microspheres for accelerated osteocyte network reconstruction and intelligent bone regeneration.

Preparation of hydrogel microsphere and its application in articular cartilage injury.

Preparation of hydrogel microsphere and its application in articular cartilage injury.

DNA-based hydrogels for bone regeneration: A promising tool for bone organoids.

DNA-based hydrogels for bone regeneration: A promising tool for bone organoids.

Synergistic adsorption and Fenton-like oxidation of neutral red by the combination of COFs and Co(OH)2 in chitosan hydrogel microspheres

Synergistic adsorption and Fenton-like oxidation of neutral red by the combination of COFs and Co(OH)2 in chitosan hydrogel microspheres

Functional metal–organic frameworks derived-nanozyme integrated sodium alginate hydrogel microspheres for visual total antioxidant capacity detection in foods

Functional metal–organic frameworks derived-nanozyme integrated sodium alginate hydrogel microspheres for visual total antioxidant capacity detection in foods

Hydrogel microspheres based on aggregation induction to improve the solubility of insoluble drugs promoting bone repair

Hydrogel microspheres based on aggregation induction to improve the solubility of insoluble drugs promoting bone repair

Sustained release of miR-21 carried by mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes from GelMA microspheres inhibits ovarian granulosa cell apoptosis in premature ovarian insufficiency.

Sustained release of miR-21 carried by mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes from GelMA microspheres inhibits ovarian granulosa cell apoptosis in premature ovarian insufficiency.

Magnetic structural color microspheres for the multiplex detection of acute kidney injury biomarkers.

Magnetic structural color microspheres for the multiplex detection of acute kidney injury biomarkers.

Synergistic effect, high-efficient removal of methylene blue based on polyaniline-sodium alginate hydrogel microspheres

Synergistic effect, high-efficient removal of methylene blue based on polyaniline-sodium alginate hydrogel microspheres

Reduce electrical overload via threaded Chinese acupuncture in nerve electrical therapy.

Reduce electrical overload via threaded Chinese acupuncture in nerve electrical therapy.

Multifunctional hydrogel microspheres regulate the balance of osteoblastic-osteoclastogenesis to treat osteoporotic bone defects by the NFATc1/RANKL/MAPK signaling

Multifunctional hydrogel microspheres regulate the balance of osteoblastic-osteoclastogenesis to treat osteoporotic bone defects by the NFATc1/RANKL/MAPK signaling

Esterase-responsive kartogenin composite hydrogel microspheres boost nucleus pulposus regeneration in intervertebral disc degeneration.

Esterase-responsive kartogenin composite hydrogel microspheres boost nucleus pulposus regeneration in intervertebral disc degeneration.

β-Diketone Functionalized Microspheres Chelate Reactive Iron via Metal Coordination for Cartilage Repair.

Excessive intracellular iron accumulation can induce mitochondrial dysfunction, leading to chondrocyte ferroptosis, a key contributor to cartilage damage in osteoarthritis (OA). Here, micelle-microfluidic hydrogel microspheres, featuring keto-enol-thiol bridged nano-sized secondary structures that disintegrate within the intracellular peroxidative environment to reveal β-diketone groups with metal chelation capabilities, are utilized for the in situ removal of reactive iron, thereby facilitating cartilage repair through the restoration of mitochondrial homeostasis. The relevant experiments demonstrate that the microspheres reduce iron influx by downregulating transferrin receptor (TfR1) expression and decrease mitochondrial iron uptake by upregulating mitochondrial outer membrane iron-sulfur cluster protein (CISD1), thus restoring intracellular mitochondrial iron homeostasis. Furthermore, the antioxidant properties of the ketone-thioether segments synergistically mitigate chondrocyte phospholipid peroxidation via Nrf2/SLC7A11/GPX4 axis, inhibiting ferroptosis and slowing OA progression. In summary, this system that in situ sustainably chelates reactive iron via metal coordination exhibits great potential in the minimally invasive treatment of OA and other ferroptosis-mediated diseases.

Metal–Organic Framework (MOF)-Embedded Magnetic Polysaccharide Hydrogel Beads as Efficient Adsorbents for Malachite Green Removal

Sodium alginate is a polysaccharide compound extracted from natural plants that has been successfully prepared as a hydrogel for adsorbing and removing pollutants. However, the selectivity of alginate-based hydrogels to malachite green (MG) dyes and the stability of alginate-based hydrogels in air cannot meet requirements. Herein, metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) are embedded into a magnetic hydrogel to create magnetic MOF hydrogel (MMOF hydrogel) microspheres with high adsorption capacity. The morphology and physical properties of the MMOF hydrogel microspheres were characterized by scanning electron microscopy and optical microscopy. Under optimized adsorption conditions, the adsorption rate of MG reached 96.5%. The maximum adsorption capacity of the MMOF hydrogel for MG was determined to be 315 mg·g−1. This highly efficient magnetic adsorbent for dye removal has considerable potential for rapidly removing toxic contaminants from aquatic food matrices for high-throughput sampling pretreatment, which has the potential for rapid, green, large-scale environmental remediation in the future.

Rapid Fabrication of Diverse Hydrogel Microspheres for Drug Evaluation on a Rotating Microfluidic System.

Hydrogel microspheres are considered ideal carriers with broad applications in 3D cell culture, drug delivery, and microtissue construction. Although multiple methods have been developed for generating hydrogel microspheres, there is still a lack of a universal approach that combines operability, stability, cost-effectiveness, and biocompatibility. In this work, a novel rotating microfluidic system (RMS) is proposed, which can rapidly fabricate diverse poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate/sodium alginate (PEGDA/SA) hydrogel microspheres by motor-driven rotation of the oil phase to form a special T-shaped structure with the needle. The main part of the system consists of commercially available motors, a beaker, and needles that do not require precision machining and are user-friendly with low cost. Moreover, by adjusting system parameters such as the needle structure, flow rate, and rotational speed, the platform enables rapid fabrication of hydrogel microspheres with different sizes and diverse cores, including crescent, thick wavy, oval, and spherical. Furthermore, tumor cell-laden hyaluronic acid methacrylate/sodium alginate (HAMA/SA) hydrogel microspheres were fabricated by using this system, which demonstrated good cell viability and proliferation in the subsequent 3D culture. In vitro drug evaluation of tumor models using cisplatin revealed the potential of this system for drug evaluation. These results indicated that RMS has good potential in other 3D cell culture-based biomedical applications.