Dynamic Slide‐Ring Hydrogels with Dityrosine‐Driven pH‐Responsive Fluorescence: Enabling 3D Printing, Enhanced Drug Delivery and Regenerative Therapy

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Authors: Yong Li, Meng Xu, Hongkui Li, Fengjuan Ni, Han Xiao, Hangyu Shen, Shunyun Zeng, Yuhui Ma, Lei Zhang
Cited by: 3
References: 58

Abstract

The development of intelligent hydrogels with multifunctional capabilities holds great promise for advancing medical applications. In this work, we developed a dynamic slide-ring supramolecular hydrogel with dual molecular innovations: a dityrosine (DY)-driven pH-responsive fluorescence core in four-arm PEG (4A-PD) and Arginine-Glycine-Aspartic acid peptide (RGD) peptide-functionalized hyperbranched polyglycerol (HPG)-modified α-cyclodextrin (CHR) for enhanced cell adhesion and drug loading. The host-guest interactions between 4A-PD and CHR form a network with shear-thinning, rapid self-healing, and UV-triggered covalent stabilization, enabling room-temperature extrusion-based 3D printing. The printed constructs exhibit high shape fidelity and porous architectures that promote RGD-mediated cell adhesion and proliferation. The DY core imparts the hydrogel with pH-dependent blue fluorescence (emission peak: 400 nm), allowing real-time microenvironmental monitoring. HPG modification of α-CD significantly enhances the drug-loading capacity, demonstrated by the sustained release of tobramycin (TOB) for effective infection control. In a full-thickness infected rat wound model, the TOB-loaded hydrogel accelerates wound closure (97.67% ± 0.56% by day 14), promotes collagen deposition, and modulates inflammation (reduced IL-6, increased IL-10), while enhancing angiogenesis. This multifunctional hydrogel integrates 3D printing, drug delivery, and responsive sensing, offering a versatile platform for regenerative medicine.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Supramolecular Self-Assembly in Materials Hydrogels: synthesis properties applications 3D Printing in Biomedical Research

Publication details

Journal / source
Advanced Healthcare Materials
Publisher
Wiley
Volume
15
Issue
14
Pages
e03936–e03936
Publication date
19 January 2026
Language
EN