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Oxidized Cashew Gum Scaffolds for Tissue Engineering
Author(s) -
Maciel Jeanny S.,
Azevedo Sara,
Correia Clara R.,
Costa Ana M. S.,
Costa Rui R.,
Magalhães Francisco A.,
Sousa Monteiro Aliny Abreu,
Costa José Francisco Gomes,
Paula Regina C. M,
Feitosa Judith P. A.,
Mano João F.
Publication year - 2019
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.201800574
Subject(s) - materials science , self healing hydrogels , gelatin , biocompatibility , chemical engineering , polymer , swelling , tissue engineering , porosity , absorption of water , periodate , sodium periodate , composite material , polymer chemistry , biomedical engineering , organic chemistry , chemistry , medicine , engineering , metallurgy
In the last few years, several strategies have been proposed to fabricate scaffolds for tissue engineering (TE) applications; however, they are based on harsh and time‐consuming techniques. The choice for natural polymers such as cashew gum (CG) allows to circumvent the demands of biocompatibility and degradability of TE systems. In this work, CG, a polysaccharide derived from Anacardium occidentale trees, is functionalized with aldehyde groups through periodate oxidation. The resultant oxidized cashew gum (CGO) is mixed with gelatin (GE) to yield a covalently crosslinked hydrogel. CGO/GE sponges are obtained by employing a freeze‐drying methodology to the previously obtained hydrogels. The mechanical properties, swelling ability, and porosity of the GE/CGO sponges are tuned by using CGO with different degrees of oxidation. The resultant sponges can maintain high levels of water absorption and recover their initial mechanical properties after cyclic compression. Moreover, these porous and mechanically robust devices can support the adhesion and proliferation of cells, which can envision their application for the regeneration of soft tissues.