Ideal hydrogels for tissue engineering applications should mimic the properties of native extracellular matrices and optimize the cell behavior. Silk fibroin (SF) that possesses tunable mechanical strength and low cytotoxicity and elastin protein that stimulates cell viability are complementary for hybrid hydrogels. Here, hydrolyzed elastin peptide (HEP) and reconstituted SF (RSF) are combined to generate hybrid hydrogels. Physical cross-links are β-sheet conformation induced by heat in SF, and chemical cross-links are induced between HEP and RSF by glutaraldehyde (GA). The influence of the hybrid ratio on the molecular structure and mechanical properties is studied in detail. Results show that with only 0·1% GA, the non-gelling multiarmed HEP could accelerate the physical gelation process of SF to result in a homogeneous dual-cross-linked structure. The β-sheet conformation increases linearly with the SF content. The hybrid hydrogels possess compressive moduli of 4–70 kPa and shear storage moduli of 0·005 to ∼40 kPa, demonstrating tunable mechanical properties to cover a stiffness spectrum for various soft-tissue applications. Cell culture results suggest little cytotoxicity of such dual-cross-linked hybrid hydrogels. The hybrid hydrogels can be used as bioinks or biocoatings for tissue engineering.

中文翻译：

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丝素蛋白和多臂水解弹性蛋白肽的水凝胶

用于组织工程的理想水凝胶应模仿天然细胞外基质的特性并优化细胞行为。具有可调节的机械强度和低细胞毒性的丝素蛋白（SF）和刺激细胞活力的弹性蛋白蛋白是混合水凝胶的补充。在这里，水解弹性蛋白肽（HEP）和重构的SF（RSF）结合在一起生成杂交水凝胶。物理交联是在SF中受热诱导的β-折叠构象，戊二醛（GA）在HEP和RSF之间诱导出化学交联。详细研究了杂化比对分子结构和力学性能的影响。结果表明，只有0·1％的GA，非胶凝多臂HEP可以加速SF的物理胶凝过程，从而形成均匀的双交联结构。β-折叠构象随SF含量线性增加。杂化水凝胶的压缩模量为4–70 kPa，剪切储能模量为0·005至40 kPa，显示出可调谐的机械性能，可以覆盖各种软组织应用的硬度谱。细胞培养结果表明这种双交联的杂化水凝胶几乎没有细胞毒性。杂化水凝胶可用作组织工程的生物墨水或生物涂层。展示了可调节的机械性能，可以覆盖各种软组织应用的刚度范围。细胞培养结果表明这种双交联的杂化水凝胶几乎没有细胞毒性。杂化水凝胶可用作组织工程的生物墨水或生物涂层。展示了可调节的机械性能，可以覆盖各种软组织应用的刚度范围。细胞培养结果表明这种双交联的杂化水凝胶几乎没有细胞毒性。杂化水凝胶可用作组织工程的生物墨水或生物涂层。