Novel Biocompatible Polysaccharide‐Based Self‐Healing Hydrogel

Abstract

A novel biocompatible polysaccharide‐based self‐healing hydrogel, CEC‐l‐OSA‐l‐ADH hydrogel (“l” means “linked‐by”), is developed by exploiting the dynamic reaction of N ‐carboxyethyl chitosan (CEC) and adipic acid dihydrazide (ADH) with oxidized sodium alginate (OSA). The self‐healing ability, as demonstrated by rheological recovery, macroscopic observation, and beam‐shaped strain compression measurement, is attributed to the coexistence of dynamic imine and acylhydrazone bonds in the hydrogel networks. The CEC‐l‐OSA‐l‐ADH hydrogel shows excellent self‐healing ability under physiological conditions with a high healing efficiency (up to 95%) without need for any external stimuli. In addition, the CEC‐l‐OSA‐l‐ADH hydrogel exhibits good cytocompatibility and cell release as demonstrated by three‐dimensional cell encapsulation. With these superior properties, the developed hydrogel holds great potential for applications in various biomedical fields, e.g., as cell or drug delivery carriers.