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Photocrosslinkable polysaccharides based on chondroitin sulfate
Author(s) -
Li Qiang,
Williams Christopher G.,
Sun Danny D. N.,
Wang Jun,
Leong Kam,
Elisseeff Jennifer H.
Publication year - 2003
Publication title -
journal of biomedical materials research part a
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.849
H-Index - 150
eISSN - 1552-4965
pISSN - 1549-3296
DOI - 10.1002/jbm.a.20007
Subject(s) - self healing hydrogels , chondroitin sulfate , materials science , biopolymer , tissue engineering , glycidyl methacrylate , methacrylate , ethylene glycol , chondroitin , polymer , scaffold , chemical engineering , biomedical engineering , glycosaminoglycan , polymer chemistry , biochemistry , chemistry , composite material , polymerization , medicine , engineering
Photopolymerizing hydrogels have demonstrated potential for use as a scaffold in numerous tissue‐engineering applications. The majority of photopolymerizing hydrogels are made from purely synthetic polymers. The purpose of this study was to synthesize and characterize photopolymerizing hydrogels derived from the biopolymer chondroitin sulfate in order to enhance the bioactivity of the scaffold and potentially improve tissue regeneration. Methacrylate groups were added to chondroitin sulfate, a major component of cartilage, using glycidyl methacrylate. The gels exhibited viscoelastic behavior typical of hydrogels. Cogels based on chondroitin sulfate and poly(ethylene glycol) demonstrated increasing pore size with increasing concentration of chondroitin sulfate as determined by water content, mechanical strength, and morphology using scanning electron microscopy. The chondroitin sulfate hydrogels degraded specifically in the presence of the enzyme chondroitinase. Chondrocytes remained viable after photoencapsulation and incubation in the biogels, suggesting their possible use for cartilage tissue engineering. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res 68A: 28–33, 2004