# MMP-deactivating injectable hydrogel for chronic wounds

> **NIH NIH R21** · UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE · 2021 · $179,873

## Abstract

Project Summary
Chronic wounds are the result of a disease state in which the normal wound healing process is impaired due to
the severity of trauma or other health complications such as diabetes. If treated improperly, infections persist,
which lead to tissue gangrene and amputation. Among the common treatment options are the application of
wound dressing to assimilate the exudates and maintain a hydrated environment. The use of electrospun
nanofibers made from biodegradable polymers or microporous hydrogels have been tested to accelerate
wound healing. Despite these efforts, an effective treatment for chronic wounds remains elusive. Recent
studies showed that high concentrations of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are the principal cause of
delayed wound healing, and the local delivery of MMP inhibitors (MMPi’s) and siRNA against MMPs have
shown promising outcomes for accelerating wound healing for various chronic wound models. However,
systemic circulation of MMPi’s and siRNAs is known to induce negative side effects such as musculoskeletal
pains. The use of safe, biocompatible methods to reduce MMP activity at the wound site are highly desirable to
improve chronic wound care. The proposed research herein aims to develop an injectable microporous
hydrogel that can facilitate the healing of chronic wounds by deactivating MMPs with minimal side effects.
MMP-deactivation is achieved by melanin nanoparticles dispersed within the hydrogel. Melanins are a broad
class of biopigments that are found in various living organisms and have been shown to have high affinity
towards multivalent cations including Zn2+. Here, our approach is to deactivate zinc-dependent MMPs by
depleting zinc ions in the vicinity of MMPs, which will induce the loss of zinc ions from the catalytic domain of
MMPs and their eventual deactivation. The injectable hydrogel is made by the assembly of gelatin microgels
which are enzymatically cured to produce a microporous scaffold which serves as a temporary matrix for
accelerated wound healing. In this research, we will optimize the zinc absorption and MMP-deactivation by the
melanin-containing injectable hydrogel, and demonstrate its therapeutic efficacy by an in vitro cell migration
assay and an in vivo mouse wound healing study. Taken together, the proposed research establishes a cost-
effective and biocompatible wound healing formulation by utilizing naturally-occurring materials. Furthermore,
this strategic approach can open new avenues to treat other MMP-associated diseases including ocular
inflammatory diseases and metastatic cancer.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10288972
- **Project number:** 1R21EB032134-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
- **Principal Investigator:** Kyung Jae Jeong
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $179,873
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-09-23 → 2024-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10288972

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10288972, MMP-deactivating injectable hydrogel for chronic wounds (1R21EB032134-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10288972. Licensed CC0.

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