Hydrogels from Wharton's jelly as alternative to conventional extracellular matrix-based constructs

A Lavrand and L Adam and A Da Rocha and F Lemaire and C Loth and A Baldit and M Vasseaux and L Van Gulick and A Beljebbar and P Augusto and A Berquand and C Salameh and N Nassif and F Boulmedais and C Mauprivez and E Brenet and H Kerdjoudj, INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL MACROMOLECULES, 328, 147552 (2025).

DOI: 10.1016/j.ijbiomac.2025.147552

Extracellular matrix (ECM)-based hydrogels are increasingly used in regenerative medicine; however, animalderived 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.

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