Fabrication of a 3D-printed bioadhesive patch containing engineered IGF-1-secreting cells for the treatment of liver bleeding and diabetic wounds.

Adhesive hydrogel patches with robust mechanical integrity and strong tissue adhesion are crucial for effective wound healing, particularly in moist and dynamic wound environments. Natural polymers have the potential to serve as suitable materials for fabricating bio-adhesive patches due to their excellent adhesion properties, mechanical strength, low degradation profiles, and swelling ratios. This study aimed to identify optimal natural polymer blends for adhesive patch fabrication by systematically screening twenty (20) different polymer formulations. Rheological and adhesion assessments revealed that blends containing gum tragacanth and alginate exhibited superior viscoelastic properties, significantly enhanced adhesion to biological substrates, and promoted rapid blood clotting in a rat liver bleeding model. Leveraging these results, a polymer matrix composed of sodium alginate and gum tragacanth was crosslinked with polyethylene glycol diacrylate (PEGDA) to enable the photopolymerizable 3D-printing of a bio-adhesive patch loaded with engineered IGF-1-secreting cells. The release of IGF-1 from embedded cells augmented fibroblast proliferation, angiogenesis, and extracellular matrix deposition, thereby accelerating regenerative processes in diabetic rats within 9 days. The patch demonstrated enhanced tissue adhesion, facilitated rapid wound closure, and promoted histological markers of regeneration compared to the controls. Our findings highlight the potential of a 3D-printed GT-alginate-PEGDA patch containing IGF-1-secreting cells as a clinically translatable adhesive patch for the treatment of liver bleeding and diabetic wounds.