Biological applications on a novel composite hydrogel containing mesoporous silica nanoparticles loaded with insulin-like growth Factor-1 and Vancomycin

Polymer nanocomposites have prolific applications in the environmental and health domain. Healthcare workers have constantly faced a challenge in constructing an effective sustained-release system for drugs, especially in areas where it is difficult to follow traditional treatment guidelines. To achieve a dual sustained release of vancomycin and cell growth factors, we designed a composite hydrogel, which was polymerized under ultraviolet irradiation to form a methacrylate gelatin (GelMA)/polyethylene glycol diacrylate (PEGDA) cross-linked system. The hydrogel showed antibacterial and pro-osteogenic differentiation activities by blending it with vancomycin and insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1)-loaded silica particles. The experimental results showed that with increased PEGDA concentration, the hydrogels were degraded by swelling with a longer sustained release time. After 144-h immersion, the hydrogel still showed sustained release of IGF-1. The antibacterial experiment showed that the hydrogel pair had an obvious antibacterial effect against S. aureus. The results of live/dead staining and Cell Counting kit-8 assay indicated excellent biocompatibility of the hydrogel. Alizarin Red staining (ARS) further demonstrated that this hydrogel could induce bone marrow stem cells to initiate osteogenic differentiation. This hydrogel material exhibited excellent antibacterial and pro-osteogenic differentiation properties and might be promising for chronic osteomyelitis treatment.