Tissue engineering provides a prominent solution for repairing damaged tissue and helping the regeneration of the peripheral cells. The artificial filler, hydrogel, for example, can provide an ideal microenvironment for the settlement of body cells and the diffusion of the medicine. To provide its normal function, sufficient mechanical strength, compatibility with the peripheral tissue, low operation requirement, and the ability to facilitate the generation of peripheral tissue are required. One kind of double-network (DN) hydrogel (GEL-PAA) will be made and tested in this study, which can be made by exposing the solution of gelatin (GEL) and polyacrylic acid (PAA) to ultraviolet radiation. Through the ultraviolet radiation, the GEL forms a chain-entanglement network with carboxy groups in PAA. This physically strong network enables the hydrogel (GEL) to have excellent physical properties, such as high tensile strength, high compression resistance, and high ductility. In addition, in vitro biological studies  reveal that this hydrogel (GEL-PAA) is capable of activating the bone mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs)and facilitating the growth and proliferation of the cells, providing a prerequisite for repairing the damaged tissue. Overall, this method demonstrated here is capable and universal for constructing mechanically bioactive scaffolds, demonstrating the spread of their bio-applicability as well as long-lasting biological function and mechanical support, promoting the advancement of tissue engineering and raising tissue engineering to a higher level.

Shihan Zhou, Zhihan Chen, Yinuo Wang, Luyang Jiang, Siyuan Ding. A Generalized Fabrication Strategy towards the Mechanical Double-Network Hydrogel Scaffold for Potential Tissue Engineering. Academic Journal of Materials & Chemistry (2025), Vol. 6, Issue 3: 79-84. https://doi.org/10.25236/AJMC.2025.060311.

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