Photolabile Elastin-Like recombinamer hydrogels for dynamic modulation of Cell-Instructive microenvironments
Light‐responsive hydrogels offer a powerful route to dynamically replicate extracellular matrix (ECM) cues, yet most platforms trade robust mechanics for limited bioactivity or suffer from poor reproducibility. Here we present a fully recombinant, photolabile elastin-like recombinamer (ELR) hydrogel...
| Autores: | , , , , , |
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| Formato: | artículo |
| Estado: | Versión aceptada para publicación |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2026 |
| País: | España |
| Recursos: | Universidad de Valladolid |
| Repositorio: | UVaDOC. Repositorio Documental de la Universidad de Valladolid |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:dnet:uvadoc______::0012e8d0fc0868ac6f6d926ed201c447 |
| Acesso em linha: | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eurpolymj.2026.114828 https://uvadoc.uva.es/handle/10324/84759 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palavra-chave: | Hydrogels Photolabile |
| Resumo: | Light‐responsive hydrogels offer a powerful route to dynamically replicate extracellular matrix (ECM) cues, yet most platforms trade robust mechanics for limited bioactivity or suffer from poor reproducibility. Here we present a fully recombinant, photolabile elastin-like recombinamer (ELR) hydrogel system that enables cytocompatible, dose-dependent modulation of both stiffness and microstructure with temporal on-demand softening. Two ELRs were genetically and chemically engineered: a structural cyclooctyne-bearing VKV-CC and an RGD-containing ELR functionalized with nitrobenzyl (NB)-carbamate photolabile azides (RGD-L3) or a combination of photolabile and light-stable azides (RGD-N3L3). Efficient catalyst-free strain-promoted azide-alkyne cycloaddition effectively yields photosensitive click-crosslinked hydrogels. Upon UV–vis irradiation, NB-based linker cleavage proceeds with first-order kinetics, translating into programmable network decrosslinking. Rheology and SEM reveal irradiation-time-dependent softening and pore enlargement, with the fully photolabile formulation exhibiting the strongest mechanical attenuation and pronounced network remodelling, while mixed crosslinks preserve structural integrity. Importantly, human mesenchymal stromal cells encapsulated in both hydrogels maintain high viability before and after exposure, and display a robust shift toward elongated, invasive morphologies consistent with light-induced matrix softening and increased pore size. This photolabile ELR platform uniquely combines the elasticity, biofunctionality, and batch-to-batch precision of recombinant protein polymers with on-demand mechanical and architectural tuning, providing a versatile basis for mechanobiology, adaptive regenerative biomaterials and already established biofabrication workflows, including bioprinting, microfabrication, and organ-on-chip technologies, enabling application-tailored dynamic microenvironments |
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