Scientists develop new injectable hydrogel to treat aneurysms

Scientists develop new injectable hydrogel to treat aneurysms

Aneurysms, abnormal dilation, or ballooning in the wall of blood vessels can lead to rupture and fatal bleeding. To treat aneurysms, it is important to stop blood flow to the affected area and prevent the vessel from rupturing. Existing treatments for treating aneurysms include catheter-guided stainless steel coils or injectable biomaterials that are placed at the site of the aneurysm; however, sometimes coils migrate, requiring repeated interventions. In addition, there are problems with injectable biomaterials currently on the market, such as high cost, leakage, cytotoxic effects, and catheter blockages.

In a recent innovative study, a team of scientists from the Terasaki Institute for Biomedical Innovation (TIBI) developed a new injectable hydrogel to treat aneurysms. The new biomaterial was created by adding sodium phytate (phyt), a compound derived from rice bran, to a gelatin-based compound. This new additive reduced potential immunotoxic side effects and gave the material the ability to accelerate blood clotting at the aneurysm site. Phyt is biocompatible, biologically active, biodegradable and is already used for biomedical applications. It has a high concentration of negatively charged phosphate groups that interact strongly with the gelatin and silicate nanoparticles (SN) in the Gel-SN formulation. This contributes to even greater cohesion, triggering the initiation of the clotting process and increasing the affinity for blood components for faster clotting.

The scientists also observed that the addition of phyt reduced the pore size of the new hydrogel, thereby increasing cohesion. The new biomaterial was found to have improved shear thinning properties, minimal swelling upon immersion in fluid (important in aneurysm treatment), facilitated injectability, and optimal cellular biocompatibility. The hydrogel was also found to have significantly improved clotting rates and shorter clotting times. Phyt is known to improve blood clotting, so stability in blocking blood flow and preventing clot migration has been particularly improved.

The new injectable hydrogel is a versatile platform, can be delivered via catheters and is expected to have applications in a variety of minimally invasive treatments, including autoimmune diseases and cancer.

We constantly strive to improve and obtain the best possible therapeutic treatments. In doing so, it creates additional tools that we can use in a variety of biomedical applications.”

Ali Khademhosseini, Ph.D., Director and CEO of TIBI

Authors are: Fatemeh Zehtabi, Hossein Montazerian, Reihaneh Haghniaz, Kaylee Tseng, Neda Mohaghegh, Kalpana Mandal, Behnam Zamanian, Mehmet Remzi Dokmeci, Mohsen Akbari, Alireza Hassani Najafabadi, Han-Jun Kim and Ali Khademhosseini.

This work was supported by funding from the National Institutes of Health (HL140951).

Source:

Terasaki Institute for Biomedical Innovation

Reference:

Zehtabi, F., et al. (2022) Sodium phytate-incorporated gelatin-silicate nanoplatelet composites for improved cohesion and hemostatic function of shear-thinning biomaterials. Macromolecular Biosciences. doi.org/10.1002/mabi.202200333.

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