Open AccessUltrafast, tough, and adhesive hydrogel based on hybrid photocrosslinking for articular cartilage repair in water-filled arthroscopy
Author(s) -
Yujie Hua,
Huitang Xia,
Litao Jia,
Jinzhong Zhao,
Dandan Zhao,
Xiaoyu Yan,
Yiqing Zhang,
Shengjian Tang,
Guangdong Zhou,
Linyong Zhu,
Qiuning Lin
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
science advances
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.928
H-Index - 146
ISSN - 2375-2548
DOI - 10.1126/sciadv.abg0628
Subject(s) - articular cartilage , adhesive , articular cartilage repair , materials science , arthroscopy , self healing hydrogels , biomedical engineering , surgery , nanotechnology , medicine , pathology , osteoarthritis , polymer chemistry , alternative medicine , layer (electronics)
A hydrogel scaffold for direct tissue-engineering application in water-irrigated, arthroscopic cartilage repair, is badly needed. However, such hydrogels must cure quickly under water, bind strongly and permanently to the surrounding tissue, and maintain sufficient mechanical strength to withstand the hydraulic pressure of arthroscopic irrigation (~10 kilopascal). To address these challenges, we report a versatile hybrid photocrosslinkable (HPC) hydrogel fabricated though a combination of photoinitiated radical polymerization and photoinduced imine cross-linking. The ultrafast gelation, high mechanical strength, and strong adhesion to native tissue enable the direct use of these hydrogels in irrigated arthroscopic treatments. We demonstrate, through in vivo articular cartilage defect repair in the weight-bearing regions of swine models, that the HPC hydrogel can serve as an arthroscopic autologous chondrocyte implantation scaffold for long-term cartilage regeneration, integration, and reconstruction of articular function.