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Oral disease is one of the most common conditions worldwide, negatively affecting general health, reducing the quality of life, and often developing into systemic illness. However, the design of therapeutic agents for oral diseases is challenging due to various unique features of the oral cavity, including its wet and dynamic environment and curved shape. Herein, the development of highly biocompatible mucoadhesive functional hydrogels for oral applications is reported, generated by introducing bio‐inspired phenolic moieties into a pectin polymer. Pyrogallol‐functionalized pectin (Pec‐PG) can be crosslinked in situ via autoxidation without chemical agents and readily fabricated as various formulations. Sprayable Pec‐PG hydrogel exhibits strong mucoadhesion and outstanding hydration ability ex vivo and in vivo, thus displaying significant potential as a novel saliva substitute for dry mouth. The authors further show that topical application of mucoadhesive Pec‐PG patches pre‐loaded with corticosteroid significantly promotes the repair of diabetic oral ulcer tissue via prolonged drug release, free radical scavenging, and physical barrier effects. Moreover, similar applications for oral ulcer treatment using a pectin hydrogel modified with catechol (Pec‐CA), another phenolic moiety are demonstrated. Together, these findings suggest that mucoadhesive phenolic pectin derivatives can provide highly biocompatible, convenient, and effective hydrogel platforms for treating oral diseases. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Esophageal stricture after extensive endoscopic submucosal dissection impairs the quality of life of patients with superficial esophageal carcinoma. Beyond the limitations of conventional treatments including endoscopic balloon dilatation and the application of oral/topical corticosteroids, several cell therapies have been recently attempted. However, such methods are still limited in clinical situations and existing setups, and the efficacies are less in some cases since the transplanted cells hardly remain at the resection site for a long time due to swallowing and peristalsis of the esophagus. Thus, a cell transplantation platform directly applicable with clinically established equipment and enabling stable retention of transplanted cells can be a promising therapeutic option for better clinical outcomes. Inspired by ascidians that rapidly self‐regenerate, this study demonstrates endoscopically injectable and self‐crosslinkable hyaluronate that allows both endoscopic injection in a liquid state and self‐crosslinking as an in situ‐forming scaffold for stem cell therapy. The pre‐gel solution may compatibly be applied with endoscopic tubes and needles of small diameters, based on the improved injectability compared to the previously reported endoscopically injectable hydrogel system. The hydrogel can be formed via self‐crosslinking under in vivo oxidative environment, while also exhibiting superior biocompatibility. Finally, the mixture containing adipose‐derived stem cells and the hydrogel can significantly alleviate esophageal stricture after endoscopic submucosal dissection (75% of circumference, 5 cm in length) in a porcine model through paracrine effects of the stem cell in the hydrogel, which modulate regenerative processes. The stricture rates on Day 21 were 79.5% ± 2.0%, 62.8% ± 1.7%, and 37.9% ± 2.9% in the control, stem cell only, and stem cell‐hydrogel groups, respectively (p < 0.05). Therefore, this endoscopically injectable hydrogel‐based therapeutic cell delivery system can serve as a promising platform for cell therapies in various clinically relevant situations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]