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Rheological Properties of Cross‐Linked Hyaluronan–Gelatin Hydrogels for Tissue Engineering
Author(s) -
Vanderhooft Janssen L.,
Alcoutlabi Mataz,
Magda Jules J.,
Prestwich Glenn D.
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
macromolecular bioscience
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.924
H-Index - 105
eISSN - 1616-5195
pISSN - 1616-5187
DOI - 10.1002/mabi.200800141
Subject(s) - self healing hydrogels , gelatin , extracellular matrix , rheology , tissue engineering , stiffness , chemistry , dynamic mechanical analysis , chemical engineering , materials science , biophysics , polymer chemistry , biomedical engineering , composite material , polymer , biochemistry , medicine , biology , engineering
Hydrogels that mimic the natural extracellular matrix (ECM) are used in three‐dimensional cell culture, cell therapy, and tissue engineering. A semi‐synthetic ECM based on cross‐linked hyaluronana offers experimental control of both composition and gel stiffness. The mechanical properties of the ECM in part determine the ultimate cell phenotype. We now describe a rheological study of synthetic ECM hydrogels with storage shear moduli that span three orders of magnitude, from 11 to 3 500 Pa, a range important for engineering of soft tissues. The concentration of the chemically modified HA and the cross‐linking density were the main determinants of gel stiffness. Increase in the ratio of thiol‐modified gelatin reduced gel stiffness by diluting the effective concentration of the HA component.