Enzymatic crosslinked hydrogels

Abstract

Crosslinking is a fundamental aspect of hydrogel formation and plays an essential role in the subsequent hydrogel properties in terms of mechanical and chemical stability. Enzyme-catalysed crosslinking has been developed rather recently compared to the physical and chemical methodologies. This technique allows for easy and efficient in situ forming of covalently bonded bioactive hydrogels under mild conditions. Enzymes can be used during the primary hydrogel formation, or during secondary processing to enhance the crosslinking rate of a hydrogel. Enzymes can be used by their own or coupled with other crosslinking chemistries for improved performance. This chapter reviews the fundamental aspects of synthesising and processing enzymatically crosslinked hydrogels for applications in catalysis, tissue engineering, microfluidics, artificial extracellular matrices, and drugs & cells delivery.