Tough hydrogel with enhanced tissue integration and in situ forming capability for osteochondral defect repair

Abstract Articular cartilage repair still remains a major challenge in today's clinical practice due to its poor self-healing capacity. Therefore, it is essential to develop a promising strategy to achieve a one-step cartilage repair for patients suffering from joint diseases and traumas. Inspired by the complex composition and microscopic architecture of native articular cartilage, an injectable hydrogel (M-O-G) with tough mechanical property and strong tissue adhesiveness is developed. All hydrogel material compositions are natural polymers or their derivatives resemble the normal cartilage extracellular matrix (ECM). This hydrogel showed superior tunable mechanical properties (mechanical strength ≈270 kPa, compressibility ≈70%) and rapid recovery ability. Moreover, it exhibited strong adhesiveness and enhanced integration with tissues. Further studies demonstrated that the hydrogel had good biocompatibility and superior performance in cartilage defect regeneration. Thus, the presented hydrogel is a promising biomaterial for clinical cartilage regeneration and other biomedical applications.