{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,10,23]],"date-time":"2026-10-23T21:01:40Z","timestamp":1792789300022,"version":"4.5.0"},"reference-count":44,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"9","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,19]],"date-time":"2026-09-19T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1789776000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Soonchunhyang University","award":["RS-2024-00334037"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["RS-2024-00334037"]}],"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/03qjsrb10","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"crossref"}]},{"award":["RS-2024-00334037"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["RS-2024-00334037"]}],"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/03qjsrb10","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"name":"Ministry of Education","award":["RS-2025-25441283"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["RS-2025-25441283"]}]},{"award":["RS-2025-25441283"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["RS-2025-25441283"]}],"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/01p262204","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}]},{"name":"Ministry of Science and ICT","award":["RS-2025-00518501"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["RS-2025-00518501"]}],"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/01wpjm123","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"crossref"}]},{"award":["RS-2025-00518501"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["RS-2025-00518501"]}],"id":[{"id":"https:\/\/ror.org\/01wpjm123","id-type":"ROR","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Gels"],"abstract":"<jats:p>While their biocompatibility and extracellular matrix-mimetic properties make hyaluronic acid (HA)-based hydrogels attractive biomaterials for bone regenerative applications, their limited mechanical stability and insufficient osteogenic activity restrict broader utility. Here, we present an organic\u2013inorganic nanocomposite hydrogel integrating catechol-functionalized HA with Sumecton clay (SU) nanosheets as multifunctional inorganic junction domains. Oxidative crosslinking of dopamine-functionalized HA established the primary hydrogel network, while the resulting hybrid network exhibited injectability and structural recovery following deformation. Incorporation of 2% SU increased the compressive modulus from approximately 4.6 to 6.0 kPa and delayed hydrogel degradation, while only modestly affecting equilibrium water content. The hybrid hydrogels also exhibited antimicrobial and catechol-mediated antioxidant activities, establishing a multifunctional microenvironment suited to tissue regeneration. SU-containing hydrogels promoted the osteogenic differentiation of encapsulated stem cells, as evidenced by increased alkaline phosphatase activity and matrix mineralization. SAG was incorporated into SU with a loading efficiency of approximately 95%, and SU@SAG-containing hydrogels further enhanced osteogenic differentiation and mineralization. Gene expression analysis showed increased expression of Hedgehog-associated markers together with modulation of Wnt\/\u03b2-catenin-related genes, suggesting signaling responses associated with enhanced osteogenesis. Collectively, this study demonstrates an organic\u2013inorganic network engineering strategy to develop structurally robust and biologically functional HA-based nanocomposite hydrogels for bone regenerative applications.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/gels12090851","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,22]],"date-time":"2026-09-22T14:19:03Z","timestamp":1790086743000},"page":"851","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Organic\u2013Inorganic Hyaluronic Acid\/Sumecton Nanocomposite Hydrogels for Osteogenic Applications"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"12","author":[{"given":"Dong Kyu","family":"Kim","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medical Science, Soonchunhyang University, Asan 31538, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"},{"role":"methodology","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"formal-analysis","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"investigation","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"data-curation","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"writing-original-draft","vocabulary":"credit"}]},{"given":"Geun Jin","family":"Song","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medical Science, Soonchunhyang University, Asan 31538, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"},{"role":"conceptualization","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"methodology","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"formal-analysis","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"writing-original-draft","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"investigation","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"data-curation","vocabulary":"credit"}]},{"given":"Ahyoung","family":"Yoo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medical Science, Soonchunhyang University, Asan 31538, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"},{"role":"formal-analysis","vocabulary":"credit"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0000-0572-5586","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Hee Sook","family":"Hwang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pharmaceutical Engineering, Dankook University, Cheonan 31116, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"},{"role":"conceptualization","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"investigation","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"data-curation","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"writing-review-editing","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"supervision","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"visualization","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"funding-acquisition","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"project-administration","vocabulary":"credit"}]},{"given":"Min","family":"Lee","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Division of Oral and Systemic Health Sciences, School of Dentistry, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA"},{"name":"Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"},{"role":"conceptualization","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"writing-review-editing","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"supervision","vocabulary":"credit"}]},{"given":"Chung-Sung","family":"Lee","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medical Science, Soonchunhyang University, Asan 31538, Republic of Korea"},{"name":"Department of Pharmaceutical Engineering, Soonchunhyang University, Asan 31538, Republic of Korea"},{"name":"Institute for Molecular Metabolism Innovation, Soonchunhyang University, Asan 31538, Republic of Korea"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"},{"role":"conceptualization","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"methodology","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"formal-analysis","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"investigation","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"data-curation","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"writing-original-draft","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"writing-review-editing","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"visualization","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"supervision","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"project-administration","vocabulary":"credit"},{"role":"funding-acquisition","vocabulary":"credit"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,19]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"26252","DOI":"10.1039\/C9RA05214C","article-title":"Biomaterials for bone tissue engineering scaffolds: A review","volume":"9","author":"Qu","year":"2019","journal-title":"RSC Adv."},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2301670","DOI":"10.1002\/adma.202301670","article-title":"Hydrogels and bioprinting in bone tissue engineering: Creating artificial stem-cell niches for in vitro models","volume":"35","author":"Lewns","year":"2023","journal-title":"Adv. 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