Hydrogels from Wharton's jelly as alternative to conventional extracellular matrix-based constructs
Extracellular matrix (ECM)-based hydrogels are increasingly used in regenerative medicine; however, animal-derived sources such as rat tail tendon ECM (RT-ECM)-the current gold standard-face limitations for clinical translation. We propose hydrogels derived from decellularized human Wharton's jelly (WJ-ECM) as a bioactive and sustainable alternative. Compared to RT-ECM, WJ-ECM hydrogels exhibit a distinct biochemical composition, combining type I/III collagen and glycosaminoglycans, and form thinner fibrils. Upon exposure to culture medium, they display reduced syneresis. Rheological and confined compression tests reveal lower stiffness and decreased permeability. Functionally, WJ-ECM hydrogels demonstrate superior hemostatic properties, reduce intracellular ROS accumulation in neutrophils, and promote an anti-inflammatory phenotype in macrophages. In vivo implantation confirms their biocompatibility with minimal adverse effects. These results highlight the potential of WJ-ECM hydrogels as a clinically relevant biomaterial for regenerative medicine and cell culture applications.
Authors
- Chrystelle Salameh (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8188-6637)
- Nadine Nassif (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4094-4909)
- Adrien Baldit (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1675-5681)
- A. Beljebbar
- Alexandre Berquand (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3863-8048)
- Capucine Loth (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6388-3443)
- Pedro Esteves Duarte Augusto (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7435-343X)
- Cédric Mauprivez (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0499-0254)
- Laurence Van Gulick (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0000-1161)
- Esteban Brenet (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9445-6070)
- Flora Lemaire
- Laurenţiu Adam
- Fouzia Boulmedais (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4934-9276)
- Halima Kerdjoudj (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8072-9728)
- Anaïs Lavrand (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0004-9981-5927)
- Maxime Vasseaux
Institutions
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR)
- Institut Charles Sadron (FR)
- Université Paris-Saclay (FR)
- Sorbonne Université (FR)
- Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Reims (FR)
- CentraleSupélec (FR)
- Institut de Physique de Rennes (FR)
- Laboratoire d'Étude des Microstructures et de Mécanique des Matériaux (FR)
- Chimie de la Matière Condensée de Paris (FR)
- Université de Strasbourg (FR)
- Université de Lorraine (FR)
- Université de Reims Champagne-Ardenne (FR)
Publication Details
- Journal
- International Journal of Biological Macromolecules
- Published
- 2025-09-09
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2025.147552
- Citations
- 4
- Primary Topic
- Polysaccharides Composition and Applications
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 4.65
Funders
- Conseil départemental de la Marne
- European Commission
- Agence Nationale de la Recherche
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
- Institut Carnot MICA