Rational design of keratin-based injectable hydrogels for biomedical applications

The study focused on developing keratin-based injectable hydrogels with enhanced water solubility and tunable physico-chemical properties for biomedical applications. By conjugating poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) to keratin, the researchers significantly improved its solubility, allowing for rapid and homogeneous dissolution. The hydrogels demonstrated excellent cytocompatibility and their properties, such as gelation time and mechanical strength, could be easily adjusted by varying concentrations of HRP and H2O2. These findings suggested that keratin-based hydrogels have significant potential as injectable materials for therapeutic implants and vesicles.