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Study of macromolecular structure and dynamics of networks formed by pulsed electron-beam irradiation of poly(N-vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP) aqueous solutions, at relatively low energy per pulse and across different concentration regimes, provides the basis for the understanding of a new generation of functional nanostructures. Networks are the result of the follow-up reactions initiated by a continuous series of electron pulse-generated hydroxyl radicals, which may have a different fate at the variance of polymer concentration. Different spectroscopic techniques, FT-IR, 13C {1H} CP-MAS NMR and Raman, applied to characterize the formed networks, describe a profound modification of the chemical structure when network size is approaching the nanoscale. Static light scattering measurements provide further information on the average weight molecular weight modification of PVP when forming nanogel particles. From the simultaneous control of network size and modification of chemical functionality stems also an intrinsic fluorescence of these nanogels never observed before. Altogether the obtained radiation-sculptured nanogels exhibit interesting multifunctionality that, coupled with the already proven biocompatibility, can be exploited in the biomedical field.

Radiation curing of an epoxy resin based blend is carried out in order to produce polymer matrices for high-performance composites. A suitable choice of both curing process and formulation parameters allows to irradiate at about 60°C. Moreover hydrothermal ageing is performed on cured materials and their properties have been evaluated

Osteomas of the paranasal sinuses are slow-growing, benign tumours most frequently found in the frontal sinus with an incidence that varies from 47% to 80% of the cases; there are often no symptoms and they are diagnosed by chance during an x-ray examination. The symptoms are usually headaches and those secondary to ocular or neurological complications. The therapy to be preferred is surgery. The authors describe a case of frontal osteoma complicated by frontal sinusitis and palpebral abscess.

Radiation-engineered poly(N-vinyl pyrrolidone) nanogels are very interesting biocompatible nanocarriers for i.v. administration of therapeutics and contrast agents for bioimaging among other applications. Nanogels are usually produced upon irradiation of dilute aqueous polymer solutions. Under these conditions, the polymer radicals formed primarily react via intramolecular radical-radical combination forming intramolecular crosslinks. The manufacturing process is fast and effective and grants excellent control of particle size and simultaneous sterilization of the formed nanogels. Interestingly, primary amino groups and carboxyl groups, useful for (bio)conjugation, are also formed in a dose-dependent fashion when manufacturing PVP-nanogels. In this presentation, the origin of nanogel size control and functionalization are discussed in relation to dose, dose rate, polymer concentration and chemical conditions. The latter can be directly altered by purging the solutions with N2O or N2 or indirectly through the formation of H2O2 in systems with low polymer concentration. The discussion is based on recent experimental work and kinetics simulations. this understanding offers a new dimension for the design and production of radiation-sculptured multifunctional nanocarriers from aqueous solutions of polymers. In addition, the inherent boundaries of these systems in terms of processing parameters are explored.

Nanogels combine the favourable properties of hydrogels with those of colloids. They can be soft and conformable, stimuli-responsive and highly permeable, and can expose a large surface with functional groups for conjugation to small and large molecules, and even macromolecules. They are among the very few systems that can be generated and used as aqueous dispersions. Nanogels are emerging materials for targeted drug delivery and bio-imaging, but they have also shown potential for water purification and in catalysis. The possibility of manufacturing nanogels with a simple process and at relatively low cost is a key criterion for their continued development and successful application. This paper highlights the most important structural features of nanogels related to their distinctive properties, and briefly presents the most common manufacturing strategies. It then focuses on synthetic approaches that are based on the irradiation of dilute aqueous polymer solutions using high-energy photons or electron beams. The reactions constituting the basis for nanogel formation and the approaches for controlling particle size and functionality are discussed in the context of a qualitative analysis of the kinetics of the various reactions.

Featured Application Stimuli-responsive hydrogels encompassing biobased polymers are anticipated for utilization in various fields, starting from drug delivery systems through temporal actuators and water reservoirs to biodegradable microelements and nutrient delivery depots. This paper describes the results of the radiation-induced crosslinking of polysaccharides modified with hydroxypropyl and carboxymethyl functional groups, hydroxypropylcellulose (HPC) and carboxymethylcellulose (CMC), respectively, without and with poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate (PEGDA) as a crosslinking agent, to obtain dual stimuli-responsive hydrogels. The gels were characterized in terms of water uptake and gel fraction, parameters that mainly depend on the HPC-CMC compositions, but also on the macromer crosslinker content and the absorbed dose. The swelling of hydrogels is controlled by both the temperature, due to the amphiphilic character of HPC and pH, due to the anionic functional groups of CMC. In spite of a similar degree of substitution in both cellulose derivatives, 1.4 for HPC and 1.2 for CMC, the pH response of hydrogels with an equal content of both polysaccharides is considerably higher-a reduction in swelling of up to 95% with a decrease in the pH to 2 was recorded-than the response to thermal-stimulus-wherein a reduction in swelling of less than 70% with an increasing in temperature to 55 degrees C was found. These biopolymers-based hydrogels of specific, stimuli-responsive swelling properties are anticipated in applications where a combination of two stimuli is essential and biodegradation may be required.

Lo studio dei fenomeni relativi all’idrodinamica ed allo scambio termico nei letti fluidizzati è di grande interesse nell’Energetica industriale. Infatti è necessaria la loro comprensione per proporre modelli affidabili ai fini della progettazione e della simulazione del funzionamento delle tante apparecchiature nelle quali essi si manifestano. In molti processi industriali i contatti e le interazioni tra fluidi, siano essi liquidi o gas, e particolati solidi consentono una grande varietà di utili applicazioni. Si tratta del campo dell’ingegneria della fluidizzazione, che ha suscitato un ampio interesse fin dalla realizzazione, durante la Seconda Guerra Mondiale, dei reattori a letto fluido per il cracking catalitico del petrolio. L’ingegneria della fluidizzazione copre un ampio campo di impieghi e tra questi: - applicazioni di letti fluidi con gas per la combustione, la gassificazione di combustibili e residui solidi, il riscaldamento e l’essiccazione di particelle, applicazioni dell’industria chimica, il cracking catalitico e termico del petrolio, etc.; - applicazioni di letti fluidi con liquidi nell’industria chimica e in apparecchiature di scambio termico come nel caso dei sistemi di recupero per il calore di scarto, dell’uso diretto dei fluidi geotermici, etc. I letti fluidizzati di interesse tecnico sono di due tipi: - letti fluidizzati con liquidi - letti fluidizzati con aeriformi. Al primo tipo si riferiscono le applicazioni nelle quali il fluido di sostegno è un liquido in seno al quale si ha la presenza di un particolato solido, spesso eterogeneo, che può essere inerte chimicamente o può reagire col fluido di sostegno o con alcuni componenti del particolato medesimo. Al secondo tipo si riferiscono le applicazioni nelle quali il fluido di sostegno è invece un aeriforme in seno al quale si ha la presenza di particolato solido, anche qui spesso eterogeneo, che può essere inerte o può reagire nel modo anzi detto. Le applicazioni più complesse riguardano l’industria chimica e non sono oggetto del presente Rapporto; esso è invece dedicato alle applicazioni più proprie dell’ingegneria meccanica che riguardano lo scambio termico tra il letto fluido ed una superficie di scambio a contatto col letto. Si tratta di tematiche che riguardano la progettazione e la verifica di scambiatori di calore a letto fluido nei quali interessa lo scambio termico tra un fluido sporco (che rappresenta il fluido di sostegno) ed una superficie di scambio a letto fluido (come nelle applicazioni della geotermia), la surgelazione di legumi e di verdure, l’essiccazione di cereali in grani, etc., la combustione a letto fluido di carbone o di residui della lavorazione del legno ed anche di rifiuti difficili da bruciare. Nella letteratura degli ultimi due decenni si ha un rilevante numero di memorie pubblicate da riviste che riportano i risultati di varie ricerche sperimentali sia sui fenomeni relativi all’idrodinamica che sui fenomeni relativi allo scambio termico. Esistono pure alcuni libri sui predetti argomenti. I modelli proposti in letteratura, sia per la previsione del comportamento idrodinamico che dei coefficienti di scambio termico, sono complessi. Ne segue che le metodologie di correlazione dei dati sperimentali dello scambio termico tra il letto fluidizzato ed una superficie immersa in esso sono altrettanto complesse ed in genere differiscono per le varie casistiche affrontate; non è quindi facile estenderne l’applicazione a casi differenti da quelli per cui sono state ricavate. La situazione è poi ancora più incerta quando si vogliono affrontare gli aspetti dello scambio termico relativi all’irraggiamento, dai quali non si può prescindere quando nel letto si raggiungono e si superano temperature di 600 °C. I modelli proposti in letteratura si possono essenzialmente distinguere in due categorie: - modelli in cui si ha un approccio dei problemi partendo da analisi dettagliate del comportamento del particolato in seno al letto e delle interazioni del letto con le superfici di scambio; si tratta di modelli complessi perché affrontano aspetti correlati alla natura non stazionaria dei fenomeni, ma comunque, poi, incompleti, perché la complessità intrinseca dei sistemi studiati non rende possibile una adeguata sintesi delle trattazioni analitiche per ricavare formulazioni di pratico interesse applicativo, - modelli che rappresentano tentativi di approccio con l’analisi dimensionale, ma che, in genere, per l’inadeguatezza delle variabili adimensionali scelte, che dovrebbero essere descrittive dei fenomeni, risultano poco esaustive; si riscontrano infatti distorsioni parametriche, spesso notevoli, che comportano una dispersione eccessiva dei dati sui piani di correlazione e ne risultano bassi valori dei coefficienti di correlazione. Il termine fluidizzazione, in senso generale, include anche il caso in cui delle particelle circolano in una apparecchiatura o in un condotto. In questi casi le particelle solide sono sospese in un fluido. Una volta che le particelle sono fluidizzate, possono scorrere facilmente e si possono sfruttare le proprietà, similari a quelle di un fluido, del sistema fluidizzato nel campo della ingegneria delle slurry-pipeline, un nuovo campo dell’Ingegneria della Fluidizzazione. Queste ultime applicazioni ora sono di grande interesse negli USA per il trasporto di carbone sospeso in acqua. La maggior parte delle riserve di carbone negli USA sono in sette Stati dell’ovest (il 72% delle riserve minerarie), così è di grande interesse il trasporto in slurry-pipeline dalle miniere ai siti dove sono allocati gli impianti di gassificazione o di produzione elettrica. Una delle più lunghe pipeline di trasporto di carbone in forma di slurry negli USA è la Black Mesa pipeline (273 miglia, circa 440 km, che va da una miniera nel nord-est dell’Arizona fino ad una centrale elettrica nell’estremo sud del Nevada), la pipeline ETSI, Energy Transportation Systems Inc., è destinata al trasporto di carbone dalle miniere del Wyoming all’Oklahoma, in Texas e in Louisiana. Negli USA si stanno pianificando altre pipeline slurry e qualche altra è attualmente in servizio per il trasporto di minerali metallici sospesi in acqua. L’applicazione della fluidizzazione al trasporto via pipeline di slurry costituisce la base del futuro da costruire per l’innovazione tecnologica finalizzata all’uso pulito del carbone. Il Rapporto raccoglie i principali risultati di ricerche degli Autori sul tema dello scambio termico negli scambiatori di calore e nei combustori a letto fluido. Sul tema dello scambio termico nell’Ingegneria della Fluidizzazione le ricerche di alcuni degli Autori hanno avuto inizio dal 1983 al DREAM (precedentemente DEAF) dell’Università di Palermo ed altre attività precedentemente sono state svolte da due degli Autori all’IIE, Instituto de Investigaciones Electricas, di Cuernavaca Morelos, in Messico, nell’ambito di una collaborazione internazionale tra l’Aquater dell’ENI e l’IIE nel periodo 1983-1994. Alcuni risultati parziali sono già stati pubblicati in altri rapporti e articoli degli Autori, qui, oltre alla definizione organica di una nuova originale metodologia di correlazione dei dati di scambio termico, è stato svolto un lavoro di sintesi per presentare i risultati in forma adatta per le applicazioni di progetto e simulazione dei processi e delle apparecchiature. Sebbene lo scopo principale sia la derivazione di correlazioni per predire i coefficienti di scambio termico tra un letto fluido o una corrente fluidizzata circolante e una superficie di scambio termico, alcuni lavori svolti attengono alla caratteristiche idrodinamiche delle particelle fluidizzate ed in alcuni capitoli sono anche riportati dei risultati ottenuti per tali aspetti fenomenologici. La nuova metodologia di correlazione proposta si fonda sull’uso di un modello idrodinamico basato sul modello del Drift Flux di G.B. Wallis e sull’approccio della metodologia di correlazione generale di A.P. Colburn. Come si può vedere dai risultati presentati, la metodologia di correlazione è stata verificata confrontandola con molti dati provenienti da vari laboratori nel mondo disponibili nella letteratura internazionale. Le Ricerche sull’ingegneria della fluidizzazione sono state sviluppate nel contesto dei seguenti contratti e programmi di ricerca: a) EEC/AQUATER Contratto 326800 - assistenza tecnica allo IIE Messico, EEC. DG VIII Bruxelles [8]; b) EEC/AQUATER Contratto ADE/933/84/06 - assistenza tecnica allo IIE Messico, EEC. DG I Bruxelles [9]; c) MURST 60% anni 1989- 1994 Università di Palermo, DEAF, “Trasmissione del calore in letti fluidizzati con gas”; d) Programma “ORPA059444: “Innovazione tecnologica di sistemi energetici e loro componenti; metodologie di progettazione, verifica e simulazione” Università di Palermo, ancora in corso

A new method for the numerical simulation of the radiation chemistry of aqueous polymer solutions is introduced. The method makes use of a deterministic approach combining the conventional homogeneous radiation chemistry of water with the chemistry of polymer radicals and other macromolecular species. The method is applied on single-pulse irradiations of aqueous polymer solutions. The speciation of macromolecular species accounts for the variations in the number of alkyl radicals per chain, molecular weight, and number of internal loops (as a consequence of an intramolecular radical-radical combination). In the simulations, the initial polymer molecular weight, polymer concentration, and dose per pulse (function of pulse length and dose rate during the pulse) were systematically varied. In total, 54 different conditions were simulated. The results are well in line with the available experimental data for similar systems. At a low polymer concentration and a high dose per pulse, the kinetics of radical decay is quite complex for the competition between intra- and intermolecular radical-radical reactions, whereas at a low dose per pulse the kinetics is purely second-order. The simulations demonstrate the limitations of the polymer in scavenging all the radicals generated by water radiolysis when irradiated at a low polymer concentration and a high dose per pulse. They also show that the radical decay of lower-molecular-weight chains is faster and to a larger extent dominated by intermolecular radical-radical reactions, thus explaining the mechanism behind the experimentally observed narrowing of molecular weight distributions.

Hydrogel wound dressings can play critical roles in wound healing protecting the wound from trauma or contamination and providing an ideal environment to support the growth of endogenous cells and promote wound closure. This work presents a self-assembling hydrogel dressing that can assist the wound repair process mimicking the hierarchical structure of skin extracellular matrix. To this aim, the co-assembly behaviour of a carboxylated variant of xyloglucan (CXG) with a peptide amphiphile (PA-H3) has been investigated to generate hierarchical constructs with tuneable molecular composition, structure, and properties. Transmission electron microscopy and circular dichroism at a low concentration shows that CXG and PA-H3 co-assemble into nanofibres by hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions and further aggregate into nanofibre bundles and networks. At a higher concentration, CXG and PA-H3 yield hydrogels that have been characterized for their morphology by scanning electron microscopy and for the mechanical properties by small-amplitude oscillatory shear rheological measurements and compression tests at different CXG/PA-H3 ratios. A preliminary biological evaluation has been carried out both in vitro with HaCat cells and in vivo in a mouse model.

The aim of this work is the evaluation of the addition of Moringa leaf powder (MLP) in cookies in terms of antioxidant properties, dough processability and sensorial properties of the cookies. The total content of biophenols and flavonoids in MLP was detected and the identification of the bioactive molecules was performed by HPLC-ESI-TOF-MS measurements, before and after oven treatment at 180 ◦C for 20 min. After a preliminary evaluation of the MLP water soluble fraction (MLPsf) cytotoxicity, its protective effect against an oxidative injury induced in the SH-SY5Y cells was assessed. Data evidence that the bioactive molecules present in MLPsf are effective in preventing ROS production and in protecting neuronal cells against oxidative stress. Prototypes of cookies containing MLP in different concentrations were then produced and evaluated by a consumer panel. Selected doughs containing MLP were analysed to determine the total content of biophenols in the cookies after baking and their enrichment in terms of valuable chemical elements. The influence of MLP on the viscoelastic behaviour and morphology of the doughs was also assessed. Finally, the potential role in counteracting the insurgence of not treatable neurodegenerative pathologies of two main MLP components, glucomoringin and kaempferol derivatives, present also after the thermal treatment, was discussed.

International audience; Ionizing radiation has become the most effective way to modify natural and synthetic polymers through crosslinking, degradation, and graft polymerization. This review will include an in-depth analysis of radiation chemistry mechanisms and the kinetics of the radiation-induced C-centered free radical, anion, and cation polymerization, and grafting. It also presents sections on radiation modifications of synthetic and natural polymers. For decades, low linear energy transfer (LLET) ionizing radiation, such as gamma rays, X-rays, and up to 10 MeV electron beams, has been the primary tool to produce many products through polymerization reactions. Photons and electrons interaction with polymers display various mechanisms. While the interactions of gamma ray and X-ray photons are mainly through the photoelectric effect, Compton scattering, and pair-production, the interactions of the high-energy electrons take place through coulombic interactions. Despite the type of radiation used on materials, photons or high energy electrons, in both cases ions and electrons are produced. The interactions between electrons and monomers takes place within less than a nanosecond. Depending on the dose rate (dose is defined as the absorbed radiation energy per unit mass), the kinetic chain length of the propagation can be controlled, hence allowing for some control over the degree of polymerization. When polymers are submitted to high-energy radiation in the bulk, contrasting behaviors are observed with a dominant effect of cross-linking or chain scission, depending on the chemical nature and physical characteristics of the material. Polymers in solution are subject to indirect effects resulting from the radiolysis of the medium. Likewise, for radiation-induced polymerization, depending on the dose rate, the free radicals generated on polymer chains can undergo various reactions, such as inter/intramolecular combination or inter/intramolecular disproportionation, b-scission. These reactions lead to structural or functional polymer modifications. In the presence of oxygen, playing on irradiation dose-rates, one can favor crosslinking reactions or promotes degradations through oxidations. The competition between the crosslinking reactions of C-centered free radicals and their reactions with oxygen is described through fundamental mechanism formalisms. The fundamentals of polymerization reactions are herein presented to meet industrial needs for various polymer materials produced or degraded by irradiation. Notably, the medical and industrial applications of polymers are endless and thus it is vital to investigate the effects of sterilization dose and dose rate on various polymers and copolymers with different molecular structures and morphologies. The presence or absence of various functional groups, degree of crystallinity, irradiation temperature, etc. all greatly affect the radiation chemistry of the irradiated polymers. Over the past decade, grafting new chemical functionalities on solid polymers by radiation-induced polymerization (also called RIG for Radiation-Induced Grafting) has been widely exploited to develop innovative materials in coherence with actual societal expectations. These novel materials respond not only to health emergencies but also to carbon-free energy needs (e.g., hydrogen fuel cells, piezoelectricity, etc.) and environmental concerns with the development of numerous specific adsorbents of chemical hazards and pollutants. The modification of polymers through RIG is durable as it covalently bonds the functional monomers. As radiation penetration depths can be varied, this technique can be used to modify polymer surface or bulk. The many parameters influencing RIG that control the yield of the grafting process are discussed in this review. These include monomer reactivity, irradiation dose, solvent, presence of inhibitor of homopolymerization, grafting temperature, etc. Today, the general knowledge of RIG can be applied to any solid polymer and may predict, to some extent, the grafting location. A special focus is on how ionizing radiation sources (ion and electron beams, UVs) may be chosen or mixed to combine both solid polymer nanostructuration and RIG. LLET ionizing radiation has also been extensively used to synthesize hydrogel and nanogel for drug delivery systems and other advanced applications. In particular, nanogels can either be produced by radiation-induced polymerization and simultaneous crosslinking of hydrophilic monomers in “nanocompartments”, i.e., within the aqueous phase of inverse micelles, or by intramolecular crosslinking of suitable water-soluble polymers. The radiolytically produced oxidizing species from water, •OH radicals, can easily abstract H-atoms from the backbone of the dissolved polymers (or can add to the unsaturated bonds) leading to the formation of C-centered radicals. These C-centered free radicals can undergo two main competitive reactions; intramolecular and intermolecular crosslinking. When produced by electron beam irradiation, higher temperatures, dose rates within the pulse, and pulse repetition rates favour intramolecular crosslinking over intermolecular crosslinking, thus enabling a better control of particle size and size distribution. For other water-soluble biopolymers such as polysaccharides, proteins, DNA and RNA, the abstraction of H atoms or the addition to the unsaturation by •OH can lead to the direct scission of the backbone, double, or single strand breaks of these polymers.

Hydrogels for complex and chronic wound dressings must be conformable, absorb and retain wound exudates and maintain hydration. They can incorporate and release bioactive molecules that can accelerate the healing process. Wound dressings have to be in contact with the wound and epidermis, even for long periods, without causing adverse effects. Hydrogel dressing formulations based on biopolymers derived from terrestrial or marine flora can be relatively inexpensive and well tolerated. In the present article hydrogel films composed by agarose (1.0 wt%), κ-carrageenan at three different concentrations (0.5, 1.0 and 1.5 wt%) and glycerol (3.0 wt%) were prepared without recourse to crosslinking agents, and characterized for their mechanical properties, morphology, swelling and erosion behavior. The films resulted highly elastic and able to absorb and retain large amounts of fluids without losing their integrity. One of the films was loaded with the aqueous extract from Cryphaea heteromalla (Hedw.) D. Mohr for its antioxidant properties. Absence of cytotoxicity and ability to reduce the oxidative stress were demonstrated on NIH-3T3 fibroblast cell cultures. These results encourage further biological evaluations to assess their impact on the healing process.

Synthetic rubber/thermoplastic blends were electrospun from their solutions. The rubber was a solid acrylonitrile/butadiene/acrylic acid copolymer and the thermoplastic was polyacrylonitrile. The aims of this study were to identify suitable systems and processing conditions for obtaining rubber-based electrospun nanofibers, to investigate the ability of an epoxy resin system to impregnate and swell selected hybrid rubber/thermoplastic mats, and to assess the impact of the nanofibers on the resin morphology and curing behavior. In particular, electrospinning trials were carried out varying the composition of the feed solution and process parameters, such as the applied voltage, the flow rate, and tip-to-collector distance. The morphology of the hybrid mats was characterized by scanning electron microscopy and their thermal properties by thermogravimetry. An epoxy resin-mat monolayer was also prepared and its fracture surface inspected; both rubber nanoparticles and PAN nanofibers were evident. The highly corrugated fracture surfaces suggest activation of local epoxy-resin toughening mechanisms. Altogether, the results encouraged the application of hybrid mats as interleaves in high-performance carbon/epoxy composites to contrast delamination.

Xyloglucans are highly branched, hydroxyl rich polyglucans that for their abundance in nature, biocompatibility, film forming and gelation ability may take a prominent role in the design and fabrication of biomedical devices, including in situ forming scaffolds for tissue engineering, wound dressings and epidermal sensors. The understanding and exploitation of their self-assembly behavior is key for the device performance optimization. A multi-scale analysis, conducted combining small-angle X-ray scattering, both static and dynamic light scattering at large and small angles, and rheological measurements, provides a description of the supramolecular organization of this biopolymer, from the scale of a few nano-meter, to the meso- and macro-scale both in the sol and gel states. Xyloglucan self-assembly is described as multi-step and hierarchical process with different levels of organization.

In this work we have explored the nature of macroradicals formed upon radiolysis of aqueous poly(N-vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP) solutions using pulse radiolysis, density functional theory (DFT) and literature data. On the basis of literature data on site-specific kinetics of hydrogen abstraction from simple amides and spectra corresponding to specific radical sites on the same amides we have assessed the distribution of H-atom abstraction by `OH radicals from different positions on the pyrrolidone ring and the polymer backbone. Pulse radiolysis experiments performed at different doses per pulse and different PVP concentrations demonstrate that the H-abstracting radiolysis products are not quantitatively scavenged by the polymer when the dose per pulse exceeds approximate to 40 Gy. The implications of this are discussed in the context of radical-initiated crosslinking reactions. At a mass fraction of 0.1% PVP and doses per pulse ranging from 7 Gy to 117 Gy, the overall radical decay observed at 390 nm follows second order kinetics with rate constants on the order of 10(9) dm(3) mol(-1) s(-1).

Cartilage or bone regeneration approaches based on the direct injection of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) at the lesion site encounter several challenges, related to uncontrolled cell spreading and differentiation, reduced cell viability and poor engrafting. This work presents a simple and versatile strategy based on the synergic combination of in-situ forming hydrogels and spheroids of adipose stem cells (SASCs) with great potential for minimally invasive regenerative interventions aimed to threat bone and cartilage defects. Aqueous dispersions of partially degalactosylated xyloglucan (dXG) are mixed with SASCs derived from liposuction and either a chondroinductive or an osteoinductive medium. The dispersions rapidly set into hydrogels when temperature is brought to 37 °C. The physico-chemical and mechanical properties of the hydrogels are controlled by polymer concentration. The hydrogels, during 21 day incubation at 37 °C, undergo significant structural rearrangements that support cell proliferation and spreading. In formulations containing 1%w dXG cell viability increases up to 300% for SASCs-derived osteoblasts and up to 1000% for SASCs-derived chondrocytes if compared with control 2D cultures. The successful differentiation into the target cells is supported by the expression of lineage-specific genes. Cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions are also investigated. All formulations resulted injectable, and the incorporated cells are fully viable after injection.