Resilin-Based Hybrid Hydrogels for Cardiovascular Tissue Engineering.

The outstanding elastomeric properties of natural resilin, an insect protein, have motivated the engineering of resilin-like polypeptides (RLPs) as a potential material for cardiovascular tissue engineering. The RLPs, which incorporate biofunctional domains for cell-matrix interactions, are cross-linked into RLP–PEG hybrid hydrogels via a Michael-type addition of cysteine residues on the RLP with vinyl sulfones of an end-functionalized multi-arm star PEG. Oscillatory rheology indicated the useful mechanical properties of these materials. Assessments of cell viability via confocal microscopy clearly show the successful encapsulation of human aortic adventitial fibroblasts in the three-dimensional matrices and the adoption of a spread morphology following 7 days of culture.