Synergistic utilization of cost-effective glycerophosphate and biologically active zein for innovative minimally invasive smart thermo-responsive hydrogels for potential hard tissue engineering applications

Key Points

• Hydrogels developed exhibit thermo-responsive behavior, enhancing their suitability for hard tissue engineering.
• The combination of glycerophosphate and zein resulted in functional hybrid materials that are cost-effective and biologically active.
• Assessment focused on the properties and potential applications of these innovative smart materials in biomedical fields.
• The findings may enable new techniques in tissue engineering; further exploration is essential for clinical application.