Premium
Impact of Reactive Amphiphilic Copolymers on Mechanical Properties and Cell Responses of Fibrin‐Based Hydrogels
Author(s) -
Al EnezyUlbrich Miriam Aischa,
Malyaran Hanna,
Lange Robert Dirk,
Labude Norina,
Plum René,
Rütten Stephan,
Terefenko Nicole,
Wein Svenja,
Neuss Sabine,
Pich Andrij
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
advanced functional materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.069
H-Index - 322
eISSN - 1616-3028
pISSN - 1616-301X
DOI - 10.1002/adfm.202003528
Subject(s) - self healing hydrogels , fibrin , materials science , copolymer , amphiphile , chemical engineering , fibrinogen , polymer chemistry , composite material , chemistry , polymer , biochemistry , engineering , immunology , biology
Mechanical properties of hydrogels can be modified by the variation of structure and concentration of reactive building blocks. One promising biological source for the synthesis of biocompatible hydrogels is fibrinogen. Fibrinogen is a glycoprotein in blood, which can be transformed enzymatically to fibrin playing an important role in wound healing and clot formation. In the present work, it is demonstrated that hybrid hydrogels with their improved mechanical properties, tunable internal structure, and enhanced resistance to degradation can be synthesized by a combination of fibrinogen and reactive amphiphilic copolymers. Water‐soluble amphiphilic copolymers with tunable molecular weight and controlled amounts of reactive epoxy side groups are used as reactive crosslinkers to reinforce fibrin hydrogels. In the present work, copolymers that can influence the mechanical properties of fibrin‐based hydrogels are used. The reactive copolymers increase the storage modulus of the hydrogels from 600 Pa to 30 kPa. The thickness of fibrin fibers is regulated by the copolymer concentration. It could be demonstrated that the fibrin‐based hydrogels are biocompatible and support cell proliferation. Their degradation rate is considerably slower than that of native fibrin gels. In conclusion, fibrin‐based hydrogels with tunable elasticity and fiber thickness useful to direct cell responses like proliferation and differentiation are produced.