Itaconate-based hydrogels for immunomodulation and infection control: design strategies, biomedical applications, and translational challenges.
6 affiliations
- 1Translational Medicine Center, Honghui Hospital, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710054, China. [email protected].
- 2Xi'an Key Laboratory of Pathogenesis and Precision Treatment of Arthritis, Xi'an, 710054, China. [email protected].
- 3Translational Medicine Center, Honghui Hospital, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710054, China.
- 4Xi'an Key Laboratory of Pathogenesis and Precision Treatment of Arthritis, Xi'an, 710054, China.
- 5Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Biomedical Metallic Materials, Northwest Institute for Non-ferrous Metal Research, Xi'an, 710016, China.
- 6Translational Medicine Center, Honghui Hospital, Xi'an Jiaotong University, Xi'an, 710054, China. [email protected].
Abstract
Itaconate is a bioactive immunometabolite with anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antimicrobial properties. Its unsaturated dicarboxylic structure allows for versatile polymerization and chemical functionalization. These characteristics make it a promising building block for bioactive hydrogels. However, current research on itaconate-based hydrogels is fragmented across immunology, polymer chemistry, and biomedical engineering, with a lack of a unified design framework. In this review, we summarize the biological properties of itaconate and its derivatives relevant to biomaterial design, including immunomodulatory effects and antimicrobial activity. We categorize itaconate-based hydrogels into two main strategies: those directly fabricated from itaconate or its analogues, and those loaded with itaconate or itaconate derivatives such as 4-octyl itaconate (4-OI) and dimethyl itaconate (DMI). We explore the relationships between composition, crosslinking chemistry, responsiveness, biological functions, and therapeutic applications in drug delivery, tissue repair, inflammatory diseases, and anti-infective therapy. We also highlight critical limitations, including insufficient structure-function comparisons, overreliance on small-animal models, limited mechanistic validation, and challenges in manufacturing, stability, biosafety, and clinical translation. This review presents a conceptual framework for the rational design of itaconate-based hydrogels and outlines key priorities for advancing these materials toward clinical translation as bioactive and immunomodulatory hydrogel platforms.
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BibTeX
@article{wang2026itaconatebased,
title = {{Itaconate-based hydrogels for immunomodulation and infection control: design strategies, biomedical applications, and translational challenges.}},
author = {Min Wang and Jiachen Wang and Guoqiang Wang and Mi Chen and Jing An and Hao Yang},
journal = {Journal of nanobiotechnology},
year = {2026},
month = jul,
doi = {10.1186/s12951-026-04862-9},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42928264},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Itaconate-based hydrogels for immunomodulation and infection control: design strategies, biomedical applications, and translational challenges.
AU - Min Wang
AU - Jiachen Wang
AU - Guoqiang Wang
AU - Mi Chen
AU - Jing An
AU - Hao Yang
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/07/29
JO - Journal of nanobiotechnology
DO - 10.1186/s12951-026-04862-9
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42928264
AB - Itaconate is a bioactive immunometabolite with anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antimicrobial properties. Its unsaturated dicarboxylic structure allows for versatile polymerization and chemical functionalization. These characteristics make it a promising building block for bioactive hydrogels. However, current research on itaconate-based hydrogels is fragmented across immunology, polymer chemistry, and biomedical engineering, with a lack of a unified design framework. In this review, we summarize the biological properties of itaconate and its derivatives relevant to biomaterial design, including immunomodulatory effects and antimicrobial activity. We categorize itaconate-based hydrogels into two main strategies: those directly fabricated from itaconate or its analogues, and those loaded with itaconate or itaconate derivatives such as 4-octyl itaconate (4-OI) and dimethyl itaconate (DMI). We explore the relationships between composition, crosslinking chemistry, responsiveness, biological functions, and therapeutic applications in drug delivery, tissue repair, inflammatory diseases, and anti-infective therapy. We also highlight critical limitations, including insufficient structure-function comparisons, overreliance on small-animal models, limited mechanistic validation, and challenges in manufacturing, stability, biosafety, and clinical translation. This review presents a conceptual framework for the rational design of itaconate-based hydrogels and outlines key priorities for advancing these materials toward clinical translation as bioactive and immunomodulatory hydrogel platforms.
SN - 1477-3155
ER -