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Hydrogel Reinforced by Short Albumin Fibers: Mechanical Characterization and Assessment of Biocompatibility
Author(s) -
Regev Omri,
Reddy Chaganti Srinivasa,
Nseir Nora,
Zussman Eyal
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
macromolecular materials and engineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.913
H-Index - 96
eISSN - 1439-2054
pISSN - 1438-7492
DOI - 10.1002/mame.201200012
Subject(s) - biocompatibility , materials science , gelatin , dextran , self healing hydrogels , scaffold , biomedical engineering , bovine serum albumin , composite number , composite material , polymer chemistry , chromatography , chemistry , medicine , metallurgy , biochemistry
Injectable hydrogels represent biomaterials attractive for many biomedical applications. Here, a hybrid material composed of dextran‐crosslinked gelatin embedded with ≈100–1 000 µm long, electrospun bovine serum albumin fibers is described. Incorporation of fibers at weight fractions of 1–6% increases the hydrogel elastic modulus by up to ≈40% and decreases the gelation time by ≈20%. The addition of short fibers does not affect the injection of the pre‐gel solution throughout medical needles at moderate shear rates. Finally, viability of seeded fibroblasts confirms the biocompatibility of the composite scaffold. This hybrid represents a class of biomaterials that structurally mimics the ECMs of common tissues and that can be delivered by a minimal‐invasive approach.