Prussian Blue Nanoparticle-Entrapped GelMA Gels Laden with Mesenchymal Stem Cells as Prospective Biomaterials for Pelvic Floor Tissue Repair

Abstract

Pelvic organ prolapse (POP) seriously affects elderly patients’ quality of life, and new repair materials are urgently needed. To solve this problem, we synthesized methacrylated gelatin (GelMA) hydrogels and incorporated photothermally active Prussian blue nanoparticles (PBNPs) to synthesize PBNP@GelMA. Then, MSCs were encapsulated in the PBNP@GelMA and exposed to a 1.0 W/cm2 of 808 nm laser for 10 min to perform heat shock pretreatment for the implantation of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). Next, we tested the repair efficacy of scaffold–cell complexes both in vitro and in vivo. Our results reveal that the heat shock treatment induced by PBNP@GelMA improved the viability of MSCs, and the underlying mechanism may be related to HSP70. Furthermore, 2 weeks after implantation in the SD rat model, the collagen content increased in the MSC implantation group and PBNP@GelMA implantation group. However, the muscle regeneration at the implanting position was mostly enhanced after the implantation of the heat-shock-pretreated MSCs, which illustrates that heat shock treatment can further promote the MSC-mediated muscle regeneration. Therefore, manipulating the cell environment and providing proper heat stimulus by using PBNP@GelMA with NIR is a novel strategy to enhance the regenerative potential of MSCs and to promote pelvic tissue repair.