Congratulations to Liu Zuolong on the publication of his article titled "Fibrous Capsule-resistant, Controllable Degradable, and Functionalizable Zwitterion-albumin Hybrid Hydrogels" in Biomaterials Science (https://doi.org/10.1039/d3bm01783d), a journal with an impact factor of 6.6 in 2022.
Implantable biomaterials can trigger host recognition, leading to an immune-mediated foreign body reaction (FBR) cascade. Over the past decade, there has been significant progress in the development of anti-fibrosis materials. Zwitterionic polymers feature a pair of groups with opposite charges within their repeating units, which exhibit an overall neutral charge and strong hydration due to ion solvation, thus resisting non-specific protein adsorption. However, the significant FBR resistance observed in zwitterionic hydrogels is based on their high zwitterionic purity; the introduction of other non-zwitterionic groups typically disrupts their anti-rejection properties, limiting further modification and performance enhancement.
Herein, we propose a biocompatible, controllable degradable, and functionalizable zwitterion-albumin hybrid hydrogel. This bioinert serum albumin-crosslinked zwitterionic hydrogel exhibits controllable degradation and excels in preventing the adsorption of various proteins and the adhesion of cells and bacteria. Furthermore, compared to PEG hydrogels, this hydrogel significantly mitigates the host's FBR and is particularly superior in reducing collagen encapsulation when implanted subcutaneously in mice, compared to PEG-based crosslinking agents. It retains good anti-FBR performance while imparting certain functionalization potential. The zwitterion-albumin hybrid hydrogel demonstrates the potential as a functionalized anti-FBR material in implant materials and biomedical devices.