Abstract
We report the synthesis of injectable in situ forming hybrid hydrogel material and investigate its ability to support the mineralization process under mild conditions. To achieve this, we have prepared a hyaluronic acid (HA) derivative that is dually functionalized with cross-linkable hydrazide groups and bisphosphonate ligands (HA-hy-BP). The hybrid hydrogel can be formed by simple mixing of two solutions: the solution of HA-hy-BP and the Ca2+ ions containing solution of aldehyde-derivatized HA (HA-al). We found that the conjugation of BP, a P-C-P analogue of pyrophosphate, to the hydrogel matrix promotes an efficient and fast mineralization of the matrix. The mineralization is facilitated by the strong interaction between BP residues and Ca2+ ions that serve as nanometer-sized nucleation points for further calcium phosphate deposition within the HA hydrogel. Compared with previously reported hydrogel template-driven mineralization techniques, the present approach is maximally adapted for clinical settings since the formation of the hybrid takes place during quick mixing of the sterilized solutions. Moreover, the hybrid hydrogel is formed from in vivo degradable components of the extracellular matrix and therefore can be remodeled in vivo through concerted HA degradation and calcium phosphate mineralization.