The recent development of recombinant resilin-like polypeptides (RLP) has presented an exciting approach to the design of mechanically resilient biomaterials for tissue engineering applications. Here, we present the bulk mechanical properties of a hybrid hydrogel consisting of a recombinant RLP and a multi-arm PEG macromer. These hybrid hydrogels are cross-linked through a Michael-type addition reaction between cysteine residues on the RLP and vinyl sulfone groups on the multi-arm PEG. The bulk mechanical properties were investigated via oscillatory rheology, compression testing and tensile testing. In addition, these hybrid hydrogels demonstrate the ability to successfully encapsulate human aortic adventitial fibroblasts and human mesenchymal stem cells; both cell lines not only remain viable following encapsulation but will also begin to spread into the surrounding matrix. These resilin-PEG hydrogels offer a promising strategy for the development of cell-instructive tissue engineering scaffolds for cardiovascular tissue and possibly additional mechanically active tissues.

Resilin-PEG hybrid hydrogels for tissue engineering applications: Bulk mechanical properties and 3D cell encapsulation

246th National Meeting (2013)

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