Design of a Novel Composite H2S-Releasing Hydrogel for Cardiac Tissue Repair

The design of 3D scaffolds is a crucial step in the field of regenerative medicine. Scaffolds should be degradable and bioresorbable as well as display good porosity, interconnecting pores, and topographic features; these properties favour tissue integration and vascularization. These requirements could be fulfilled by hybrid hydrogels using a combination of natural and synthetic components. Here, the mechanical and biological properties of a polyethylene glycol-fibrinogen hydrogel (PFHy) are improved in order to favour the proliferation and differentiation of human Sca-1^pos cardiac progenitor cells (hCPCs). PFHys are modified by embedding air- or perfluorohexane-filled bovine serum albumin microbubbles (MBs) and characterized. Changes in cell morphology are observed in MBs–PFHys, suggesting that MBs could enhance the formation of bundles of cells and influence the direction of the spindle growth. The properties of MBs as carriers of active macromolecules are also exploited. For the first time, enzyme-coated MBs have been used as systems for the production of hydrogen sulfide (H₂S)-releasing scaffolds. Novel H₂S-releasing PFHys are produced, which are able to improve the growth of hCPCs. This novel 3D cell–scaffold system will allow the assessment of the effects of H₂S on the cardiac muscle regeneration with its potential applications in tissue repair. (Figure presented.) .