pH-responsive scaffolds generate a pro-healing response.

A principal challenge in wound healing is a lack of cell recruitment, cell infiltration, and vascularization, which occurs in the absence of temporal and spatial cues. We hypothesized that a scaffold that expands due to local changes in pH may alter oxygen and nutrient transport and the local cell density, leading to enhanced cell deposition and survival. In this study, we present a pH-responsive scaffold that increases oxygen transport, as confirmed by our finite element model analysis, and cell proliferation relative to a non-responsive scaffold. In vivo, responsive scaffolds induce a pro-healing gene expression profile indicative of enhanced angiogenesis, granulation tissue formation, and tissue remodeling. Scaffolds that stretch in response to their environment may be a hallmark for tissue regeneration.