Abstract
A phenolic hydroxyl group was incorporated into albumin, using aqueous carbodiimide activation chemistry, to obtain in situ gellable and injectable albumin-based materials for customized tissue engineering applications. By this means, albumin derivatives that were gellable via a peroxidase-catalyzed reaction were obtained. The enzymatically cross-linked albumin gels showed tunable storage modulus and proteolytic degradability. The time necessary for gelation decreased with increasing content of the phenolic hydroxyl (Ph) group, peroxidase concentration and decreasing H2O2 concentration. We further synthesized autologous serum hydrogels that retained its integrity in vivo for more than one month and was eventually degraded due to hydrolysis. The synthesized plasma hydrogels exhibited little cytotoxicity and hemolysis; the acute inflammatory response after implanting the hydrogel was negligible, and the degradation products were biocompatible. A mouse model of sidewall defect-bowel abrasion was employed, and a significant reduction of post-operative peritoneal adhesion has been found in the group of in situ formed plasma hydrogels.