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Tough and hierarchically-structured silk hydrogel for artificial tendons.

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Title: Tough and hierarchically-structured silk hydrogel for artificial tendons.
Authors: Zhou, Sicheng1,2 (AUTHOR), Nie, Kexin1,3,4 (AUTHOR), Wu, Boxuan1,3,4 (AUTHOR), Qin, Congcong1 (AUTHOR), Tian, Jingyi3 (AUTHOR), Li, Lele3,4 (AUTHOR), Fan, Zhang4 (AUTHOR), Yin, Zi1,2,5 (AUTHOR), Ouyang, Hongwei1,2,3,4,5 (AUTHOR), Chen, Xiao1,2,5 (AUTHOR) chenxiao-610@zju.edu.cn, Shen, Weiliang1,2,5 (AUTHOR), Huang, Wenwen1,3,4,5,6,7 (AUTHOR) wenwenhuang@intl.zju.edu.cn
Source: Biomaterials. Nov2026, Vol. 334, pN.PAG-N.PAG. 1p.
Subjects: Tendons, Silk fibroin, Tendon injuries, Biomaterials, Tensile strength, Directional solidification, Tissue engineering
Abstract: Tendon injuries are prevalent in both athletic and general populations, leading to significant pain, lost productivity, and disabilities. However, surgical reconstruction of ruptured tendons remains a clinical challenge and requires tough, regenerative artificial tendons to promote functional restoration. Here, inspired by the structure of native tendons, we introduce a facile approach that synergistically combines directional-freezing and hot-stretching strategies to produce tough and hierarchically-structured silk hydrogels, named DFHS hydrogels, for artificial tendons. At a high water content of about 70 wt%, DFHS hydrogels exhibit an ultimate tensile strength of 13.9 MPa, comparable to human anterior cruciate ligament, and a fracture toughness of 45.5 kJ m−2, 5 times as high as natural rubber. Additionally, the high crystallinity and aligned multi-level structures prolong the degradation and thus improve long-term integrity and mechanical stability both in vitro and in vivo. DFHS hydrogels exhibit multi-level anisotropy, featuring micrometer-scale honeycomb-like pore walls that harbor nanoscale-oriented β-sheets. These bioinspired topological niches induce significant cell alignment, guide the ingrowth of neo-tendon, upregulate pathways related to the extracellular matrix, promote mature tendon formation, and thereby facilitate tendon healing. This strategy, transferable to other semicrystalline polymers, presents a water-based fabrication approach for the development of tough hydrogels toward clinical translations. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Copyright of Biomaterials is the property of Elsevier B.V. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
Database: Engineering Source
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Header DbId: egs
DbLabel: Engineering Source
An: 194297054
AccessLevel: 6
PubType: Academic Journal
PubTypeId: academicJournal
PreciseRelevancyScore: 0
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Items – Name: Title
  Label: Title
  Group: Ti
  Data: Tough and hierarchically-structured silk hydrogel for artificial tendons.
– Name: Author
  Label: Authors
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Zhou%2C+Sicheng%22">Zhou, Sicheng</searchLink><relatesTo>1,2</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Nie%2C+Kexin%22">Nie, Kexin</searchLink><relatesTo>1,3,4</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Wu%2C+Boxuan%22">Wu, Boxuan</searchLink><relatesTo>1,3,4</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Qin%2C+Congcong%22">Qin, Congcong</searchLink><relatesTo>1</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Tian%2C+Jingyi%22">Tian, Jingyi</searchLink><relatesTo>3</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Li%2C+Lele%22">Li, Lele</searchLink><relatesTo>3,4</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Fan%2C+Zhang%22">Fan, Zhang</searchLink><relatesTo>4</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Yin%2C+Zi%22">Yin, Zi</searchLink><relatesTo>1,2,5</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Ouyang%2C+Hongwei%22">Ouyang, Hongwei</searchLink><relatesTo>1,2,3,4,5</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Chen%2C+Xiao%22">Chen, Xiao</searchLink><relatesTo>1,2,5</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> chenxiao-610@zju.edu.cn</i><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Shen%2C+Weiliang%22">Shen, Weiliang</searchLink><relatesTo>1,2,5</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Huang%2C+Wenwen%22">Huang, Wenwen</searchLink><relatesTo>1,3,4,5,6,7</relatesTo> (AUTHOR)<i> wenwenhuang@intl.zju.edu.cn</i>
– Name: TitleSource
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  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="JN" term="%22Biomaterials%22">Biomaterials</searchLink>. Nov2026, Vol. 334, pN.PAG-N.PAG. 1p.
– Name: Subject
  Label: Subjects
  Group: Su
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Tendons%22">Tendons</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Silk+fibroin%22">Silk fibroin</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Tendon+injuries%22">Tendon injuries</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Biomaterials%22">Biomaterials</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Tensile+strength%22">Tensile strength</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Directional+solidification%22">Directional solidification</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Tissue+engineering%22">Tissue engineering</searchLink>
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: Tendon injuries are prevalent in both athletic and general populations, leading to significant pain, lost productivity, and disabilities. However, surgical reconstruction of ruptured tendons remains a clinical challenge and requires tough, regenerative artificial tendons to promote functional restoration. Here, inspired by the structure of native tendons, we introduce a facile approach that synergistically combines directional-freezing and hot-stretching strategies to produce tough and hierarchically-structured silk hydrogels, named DFHS hydrogels, for artificial tendons. At a high water content of about 70 wt%, DFHS hydrogels exhibit an ultimate tensile strength of 13.9 MPa, comparable to human anterior cruciate ligament, and a fracture toughness of 45.5 kJ m−2, 5 times as high as natural rubber. Additionally, the high crystallinity and aligned multi-level structures prolong the degradation and thus improve long-term integrity and mechanical stability both in vitro and in vivo. DFHS hydrogels exhibit multi-level anisotropy, featuring micrometer-scale honeycomb-like pore walls that harbor nanoscale-oriented β-sheets. These bioinspired topological niches induce significant cell alignment, guide the ingrowth of neo-tendon, upregulate pathways related to the extracellular matrix, promote mature tendon formation, and thereby facilitate tendon healing. This strategy, transferable to other semicrystalline polymers, presents a water-based fabrication approach for the development of tough hydrogels toward clinical translations. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
– Name: AbstractSuppliedCopyright
  Label:
  Group: Ab
  Data: <i>Copyright of Biomaterials is the property of Elsevier B.V. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract.</i> (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)
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RecordInfo BibRecord:
  BibEntity:
    Identifiers:
      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.1016/j.biomaterials.2026.124294
    Languages:
      – Code: eng
        Text: English
    PhysicalDescription:
      Pagination:
        PageCount: 1
        StartPage: N.PAG
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Tendons
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Silk fibroin
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Tendon injuries
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Biomaterials
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Tensile strength
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Directional solidification
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Tissue engineering
        Type: general
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      – TitleFull: Tough and hierarchically-structured silk hydrogel for artificial tendons.
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            NameFull: Zhou, Sicheng
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            NameFull: Nie, Kexin
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            NameFull: Wu, Boxuan
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            NameFull: Qin, Congcong
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            NameFull: Tian, Jingyi
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            NameFull: Yin, Zi
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            NameFull: Shen, Weiliang
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            – D: 01
              M: 11
              Text: Nov2026
              Type: published
              Y: 2026
          Identifiers:
            – Type: issn-print
              Value: 01429612
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              Value: 334
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