Injectable behavior is often observed in polymer-based hydrogels yet is rarely achieved in low-molecular-weight hydrogels (LMWHs), the realization of which may boost the development of new soft materials for biomedical applications. Here, we report on injectable self-healing and antidissolving LMWHs that are formed through a simple ionic cross-linking strategy, showing a fundamental application for the encapsulation of living cells. The LMWHs are formed by simply mixing Ca²⁺ with negatively charged supramolecular polymers. Surprisingly, the resultant hydrogels are capable of rapidly self-healing within seconds after damage, showing an unexpected injectable function. When the hydrogel is injected into an aqueous medium, continuous macroscopic hydrogel fibers can be produced. Interestingly, the hydrogel can remain intact in the aqueous medium, showing impressive antidissolving behavior which is less observed in other LMWHs. Furthermore, the hydrogel is demonstrated to be nontoxic and can be used as a cytocompatible scaffold for living cells. This work may open an avenue toward injectable and antidissolving LMWHs for the ever-expanding list of applications in biotherapy and bioprinting.

中文翻译：

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通过离子交联实现的可注射自修复和抗溶解低分子量水凝胶，用于细胞封装


在聚合物基水凝胶中经常观察到注射行为，但在低分子量水凝胶 （LMWH） 中很少实现，其实现可能会促进用于生物医学应用的新型软材料的开发。在这里，我们报道了通过简单的离子交联策略形成的可注射自愈和抗溶解 LMWHs，展示了活细胞封装的基本应用。LMWH 是通过简单地将 Ca²⁺ 与带负电荷的超分子聚合物混合而形成的。令人惊讶的是，所得的水凝胶能够在损伤后几秒钟内迅速自愈，显示出意想不到的注射功能。当水凝胶注入水性介质中时，可以产生连续的宏观水凝胶纤维。有趣的是，水凝胶可以在水性介质中保持完整，显示出令人印象深刻的抗溶解行为，这在其他 LMWH 中较少观察到。此外，该水凝胶被证明是无毒的，可用作活细胞的细胞相容性支架。这项工作可能为注射和抗溶解 LMWH 开辟一条途径，用于生物疗法和生物打印中不断扩大的应用列表。