Synthesis and characterization of hyaluronic acid–poly(ethylene glycol) hydrogels via Michael addition: An injectable biomaterial for cartilage repair
✍ Scribed by R. Jin; L.S. Moreira Teixeira; A. Krouwels; P.J. Dijkstra; C.A. van Blitterswijk; M. Karperien; J. Feijen
- Publisher
- Elsevier Science
- Year
- 2010
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 662 KB
- Volume
- 6
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 1742-7061
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✦ Synopsis
Injectable hydrogels based on hyaluronic acid (HA) and poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) were designed as biodegradable matrices for cartilage tissue engineering. Solutions of HA conjugates containing thiol functional groups (HA-SH) and PEG vinylsulfone (PEG-VS) macromers were cross-linked via Michael addition to form a three-dimensional network under physiological conditions. Gelation times varied from 14 min to less than 1 min, depending on the molecular weights of HA-SH and PEG-VS, degree of substitution (DS) of HA-SH and total polymer concentration. When the polymer concentration was increased from 2% to 6% (w/v) in the presence of 100 U ml À1 hyaluronidase the degradation time increased from 3 to 15 days. Hydrogels with a homogeneous distribution of cells were obtained when chondrocytes were mixed with the precursor solutions. Culturing cell-hydrogel constructs prepared from HA185k-SH with a DS of 28 and cross-linked with PEG5k-4VS for 3 weeks in vitro revealed that the cells were viable and that cell division took place. Gel-cell matrices degraded in approximately 3 weeks, as shown by a significant decrease in dry gel mass. At day 21 glycosaminoglycans and collagen type II were found to have accumulated in hydrogels. These results indicate that these injectable hydrogels have a high potential for cartilage tissue engineering.