Glycosaminoglycan-based hydrogels with programmable host reactions.

Glycosaminoglycan (GAG)-based, biohybrid hydrogels offering far-reaching control over their physical and biomolecular signaling properties have been successfully used in various cell and tissue culture applications. To explore the suitability of the materials for in vivo use, we herein studied the host reaction to in situ-assembling star(PEG)-GAG hydrogel variants upon subcutaneous implantation in immunocompetent C57BL/6J mice for up to 28 days. Specifically, we investigated the immune reaction and the angiogenic response to hydrogels with systematically varied cytokine functionalizations, physical network (and mechanical) properties, cell adhesiveness, and enzymatic degradability. The GAG-based hydrogel elicited only minor foreign body reaction with low immune cell infiltration and collagen deposition compared to similarly implanted medical grade silicone. Adjusting of the physical properties, biofunctionalization, and degradability allowed to program the host response from nearly no degradation and infiltration to fast integration of the gel scaffolds into the tissue within days. The results demonstrate that foreign body reactions and starPEG-GAG hydrogel tissue integration can be effectively controlled by defined adjustments of the hydrogel system, suggesting the in situ-assembling materials as safe and effective for in vivo tissue engineering applications.