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Sample records for acid hydrogel carrying

  1. An experimental test of stroke recovery by implanting a hyaluronic acid hydrogel carrying a Nogo receptor antibody in a rat model

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ma Jun; Tian Weiming; Hou Shaoping; Xu Qunyuan; Spector, Myron; Cui Fuzhai

    2007-01-01

    The objective of the study was to determine the effects of a hyaluronic-acid-based (HA-based) hydrogel implant, carrying a polyclonal antibody to the Nogo-66 receptor (NgR), on adult rats that underwent middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). Behavioral tests of a forelimb-reaching task suggested that the disabled function of the impaired forelimb in this stroke model was ameliorated by the implant to a certain extent. These behavioral findings were correlated with immunohistochemical results of investigating the distribution of NgR antibody, neurofilaments (NF) and neuron-specific class III β-tubulin (TuJ1) in the brain sections. The porous hydrogel functioned as a scaffold to deliver the NgR antibody, support cell migration and development. In addition, it was found NF-positive and TuJ1-positive expressions were distributed in the implanted hydrogel. Collectively, the results demonstrate the promise of the HA hydrogel as a scaffold material and the delivery vehicle of the NgR antibody for the repair of defects and the support of neural regeneration in the brain

  2. An experimental test of stroke recovery by implanting a hyaluronic acid hydrogel carrying a Nogo receptor antibody in a rat model

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ma Jun [Biomaterials Laboratory, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China); Tian Weiming [Biomaterials Laboratory, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China); Hou Shaoping [Beijing Institute of Neuroscience, Capital University of Medical Sciences, Beijing 100054 (China); Xu Qunyuan [Beijing Institute of Neuroscience, Capital University of Medical Sciences, Beijing 100054 (China); Spector, Myron [Tissue Engineering, VA Boston Healthcare System, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA (United States); Cui Fuzhai [Biomaterials Laboratory, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing 100084 (China)

    2007-12-15

    The objective of the study was to determine the effects of a hyaluronic-acid-based (HA-based) hydrogel implant, carrying a polyclonal antibody to the Nogo-66 receptor (NgR), on adult rats that underwent middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). Behavioral tests of a forelimb-reaching task suggested that the disabled function of the impaired forelimb in this stroke model was ameliorated by the implant to a certain extent. These behavioral findings were correlated with immunohistochemical results of investigating the distribution of NgR antibody, neurofilaments (NF) and neuron-specific class III {beta}-tubulin (TuJ1) in the brain sections. The porous hydrogel functioned as a scaffold to deliver the NgR antibody, support cell migration and development. In addition, it was found NF-positive and TuJ1-positive expressions were distributed in the implanted hydrogel. Collectively, the results demonstrate the promise of the HA hydrogel as a scaffold material and the delivery vehicle of the NgR antibody for the repair of defects and the support of neural regeneration in the brain.

  3. Water absorbency of chitosan grafted acrylic acid hydrogels

    Science.gov (United States)

    Astrini, N.; Anah, L.; Haryono, A.

    2017-07-01

    Acrylic acid (AA) monomer was directly grafted onto chitosan (CTS) using potassium persulfate (KPS) as an initiator and methylenebisacrylamide (MBA) as a crosslinking agent under an inert atmosphere. One factor affecting the swelling capacity of the obtained hydrogel, KPS concentration, were studied. The hydrogel products were characterized using Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) for chemical structure and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) for morphology. Swelling of the hydrogel samples in distilled water and saline solution ( 9% NaCl ) was examined. Swelling capacity of the CTS-g-PAA hydrogels in distilled water (88.53 g/g) was higher than in NaCl solution (29.94 g/g) The highest swelling capacity value was obtained when the grafted reaction was carried out using 2.5wt% initiator

  4. Injectable hydrogels derived from phosphorylated alginic acid calcium complexes

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, Han-Sem; Song, Minsoo, E-mail: minsoosong00@gmail.com; Lee, Eun-Jung; Shin, Ueon Sang, E-mail: usshin12@dankook.ac.kr

    2015-06-01

    Phosphorylation of sodium alginate salt (NaAlg) was carried out using H{sub 3}PO{sub 4}/P{sub 2}O{sub 5}/Et{sub 3}PO{sub 4} followed by acid–base reaction with Ca(OAc){sub 2} to give phosphorylated alginic acid calcium complexes (CaPAlg), as a water dispersible alginic acid derivative. The modified alginate derivatives including phosphorylated alginic acid (PAlg) and CaPAlg were characterized by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy for {sup 1}H, and {sup 31}P nuclei, high resolution inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis. CaPAlg hydrogels were prepared simply by mixing CaPAlg solution (2 w/v%) with NaAlg solution (2 w/v%) in various ratios (2:8, 4:6, 6:4, 8:2) of volume. No additional calcium salts such as CaSO{sub 4} or CaCl{sub 2} were added externally. The gelation was completed within about 3–40 min indicating a high potential of hydrogel delivery by injection in vivo. Their mechanical properties were tested to be ≤ 6.7 kPa for compressive strength at break and about 8.4 kPa/mm for elastic modulus. SEM analysis of the CaPAlg hydrogels showed highly porous morphology with interconnected pores of width in the range of 100–800 μm. Cell culture results showed that the injectable hydrogels exhibited comparable properties to the pure alginate hydrogel in terms of cytotoxicity and 3D encapsulation of cells for a short time period. The developed injectable hydrogels showed suitable physicochemical and mechanical properties for injection in vivo, and could therefore be beneficial for the field of soft tissue engineering. - Highlights: • Preparation of water-soluble alginic acid complexes with calcium phosphate • Self-assembly of the phosphorylated alginic acid calcium complexes with sodium alginate • Preparation of injectable hydrogels with diverse gelation times within about 3–40 min.

  5. Radiation synthesis and characterization of polyacrylic acid hydrogels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yang Mingcheng; Song Hongyan; Zhu Chengshen; He Suqin

    2007-01-01

    The pH-sensitive polyacrylic acid (PAA) hydrogels were synthesized by gamma-ray irradiation at an ambient temperature. The influences of dose, monomer concentration, cross-linking agent content, pH, and ionic strength on the swelling ratio (SR) of the PAA hydrogels were investigated in detail. The results show that the SR of the hydrogel decreases with an increase in the dose, monomer concentration, and cross-linking agent content. In alkaline solution, the SR of the hydrogels is much higher than that in acid solution. Also, the ionic strength can influence the SR of the hydrogels. The more the concentration, the lower the SR. (authors)

  6. Nicotine-selective radiation-induced poly(acrylamide/maleic acid) hydrogels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Saraydin, D.; Karadag, E.; Caldiran, Y.; Gueven, O.

    2001-01-01

    Nicotine-selective poly(acrylamide/maleic acid) (AAm/MA) hydrogels prepared by γ-irradiation were used in experiments on swelling, diffusion, and interactions of the pharmaceuticals nicotine, nicotinic acid, nicotinamide, and nikethamide. For AAm/MA hydrogel containing 60 mg maleic acid and irradiated at 5.2 kGy, the studies indicated that swelling increased in the following order; nicotine>nicotinamide>nikethamide>nicotinic acid>water. Diffusions of water and the pharmaceuticals within the hydrogels were found to be non-Fickian in character. AAm/MA hydrogel sorbed only nicotine and did not sorb nicotinamide, nikethamide and nicotinic acid in the binding experiments. S-type adsorption in Giles's classification system was observed. Some binding and thermodynamic parameters for AAm/MA hydrogel-nicotine system were calculated using the Scatchard method. The values of adsorption heat and free energy of this system were found to be negative whereas adsorption entropy was found to be positive. (author)

  7. Biodegradation and Osteosarcoma Cell Cultivation on Poly(aspartic acid) Based Hydrogels.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Juriga, Dávid; Nagy, Krisztina; Jedlovszky-Hajdú, Angéla; Perczel-Kovách, Katalin; Chen, Yong Mei; Varga, Gábor; Zrínyi, Miklós

    2016-09-14

    Development of novel biodegradable and biocompatible scaffold materials with optimal characteristics is important for both preclinical and clinical applications. The aim of the present study was to analyze the biodegradability of poly(aspartic acid)-based hydrogels, and to test their usability as scaffolds for MG-63 osteoblast-like cells. Poly(aspartic acid) was fabricated from poly(succinimide) and hydrogels were prepared using natural amines as cross-linkers (diaminobutane and cystamine). Disulfide bridges were cleaved to thiol groups and the polymer backbone was further modified with RGD sequence. Biodegradability of the hydrogels was evaluated by experiments on the base of enzymes and cell culture medium. Poly(aspartic acid) hydrogels possessing only disulfide bridges as cross-links proved to be degradable by collagenase I. The MG-63 cells showed healthy, fibroblast-like morphology on the double cross-linked and RGD modified hydrogels. Thiolated poly(aspartic acid) based hydrogels provide ideal conditions for adhesion, survival, proliferation, and migration of osteoblast-like cells. The highest viability was found on the thiolated PASP gels while the RGD motif had influence on compacted cluster formation of the cells. These biodegradable and biocompatible poly(aspartic acid)-based hydrogels are promising scaffolds for cell cultivation.

  8. Glucose-Sensitive Hydrogel Optical Fibers Functionalized with Phenylboronic Acid.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yetisen, Ali K; Jiang, Nan; Fallahi, Afsoon; Montelongo, Yunuen; Ruiz-Esparza, Guillermo U; Tamayol, Ali; Zhang, Yu Shrike; Mahmood, Iram; Yang, Su-A; Kim, Ki Su; Butt, Haider; Khademhosseini, Ali; Yun, Seok-Hyun

    2017-04-01

    Hydrogel optical fibers are utilized for continuous glucose sensing in real time. The hydrogel fibers consist of poly(acrylamide-co-poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylate) cores functionalized with phenylboronic acid. The complexation of the phenylboronic acid and cis-diol groups of glucose enables reversible changes of the hydrogel fiber diameter. The analyses of light propagation loss allow for quantitative glucose measurements within the physiological range. © 2017 The Authors. Published by WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  9. Enzymatically crosslinked silk-hyaluronic acid hydrogels.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Raia, Nicole R; Partlow, Benjamin P; McGill, Meghan; Kimmerling, Erica Palma; Ghezzi, Chiara E; Kaplan, David L

    2017-07-01

    In this study, silk fibroin and hyaluronic acid (HA) were enzymatically crosslinked to form biocompatible composite hydrogels with tunable mechanical properties similar to that of native tissues. The formation of di-tyrosine crosslinks between silk fibroin proteins via horseradish peroxidase has resulted in a highly elastic hydrogel but exhibits time-dependent stiffening related to silk self-assembly and crystallization. Utilizing the same method of crosslinking, tyramine-substituted HA forms hydrophilic and bioactive hydrogels that tend to have limited mechanics and degrade rapidly. To address the limitations of these singular component scaffolds, HA was covalently crosslinked with silk, forming a composite hydrogel that exhibited both mechanical integrity and hydrophilicity. The composite hydrogels were assessed using unconfined compression and infrared spectroscopy to reveal of the physical properties over time in relation to polymer concentration. In addition, the hydrogels were characterized by enzymatic degradation and for cytotoxicity. Results showed that increasing HA concentration, decreased gelation time, increased degradation rate, and reduced changes that were observed over time in mechanics, water retention, and crystallization. These hydrogel composites provide a biologically relevant system with controllable temporal stiffening and elasticity, thus offering enhanced tunable scaffolds for short or long term applications in tissue engineering. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Investigation on Au-nano incorporated pH-sensitive (itaconic acid/acrylic acid/triethylene glycol) based polymeric biocompatible hydrogels

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sakthivel, M., E-mail: msakthi81986@gmail.com [Research and Development Centre, Bharathiar University, Coimbatore 641 046, Tamilnadu (India); Department of Chemistry, Ganadipathy Tulsi' s Jain Engineering College, Kaniyambadi, Vellore 632 102, Tamilnadu (India); Franklin, D.S., E-mail: loyolafrank@yahoo.co.in [Department of Chemistry, C. Abdul Hakeem College of Engineering and Technology, Melvisharam 632509, Tamilnadu (India); Sudarsan, S., E-mail: srsudarsan29@gmail.com [Department of Chemistry, Periyar University, Salem 636011, Tamilnadu (India); Chitra, G., E-mail: chitramuralikrishnan@gmail.com [Department of Chemistry, Periyar University, Salem 636011, Tamilnadu (India); Guhanathan, S., E-mail: sai_gugan@yahoo.com [PG & Research Department of Chemistry, Muthurangam Government Arts College, Vellore 632 002, Tamilnadu (India)

    2017-06-01

    The pH-sensitive gold nano hydrogel based on itaconic acid, acrylic acid and triethylene glycol (GIAT) has been prepared by free radical polymerization viz. organic solventless approach with different monomer ratios. The nature of bonding and structural identification of GIAT hydrogels were characterized by FT-IR spectroscopy. The surface morphology of gold gel was examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). In addition, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was used to identify the size of gold nano particles. The in vitro biocompatibility of GIAT hydrogel has been evaluated in 3T3 fibroblast cell lines. The obtained results show that gold nano particle incorporated hydrogel possess ~ 99% of cell proliferation. Followed by, the impact of gold nano particles on swelling, surface morphology was studied. The consecutive preparation of hydrogel, effect of different pH conditions, and stoichiometry of monomeric units have also been discussed. The degree of swelling was measured in carbonate buffer solutions for 24 h period with varying pH such as 1.2, 6.0, 7.4 and 10.0. The obtained results showed that the stoichiometry of itaconic acid and gold nano particles plays an essential role in modifying the nature of GIAT polymeric hydrogels. In conclusion, promising Au-nano incorporated pH-sensitive bio polymeric hydrogels were prepared and characterized. The unique properties of these Au-nano hydrogel make them attractive use in biomedical applications. - Highlights: • Itaconic acid based hydrogels were developed viz. greener organic solvent less approach. • The enhanced equilibrium swelling at acidic and basic medium was observed for nano-Au-incorporated nano composite hydrogels. • The prepared GIAT hydrogel showed ~ 99% of cell proliferation. • This kind of pH-sensitive polymeric hydrogels may be useful for controlled drug delivery system.

  11. Investigation on Au-nano incorporated pH-sensitive (itaconic acid/acrylic acid/triethylene glycol) based polymeric biocompatible hydrogels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sakthivel, M.; Franklin, D.S.; Sudarsan, S.; Chitra, G.; Guhanathan, S.

    2017-01-01

    The pH-sensitive gold nano hydrogel based on itaconic acid, acrylic acid and triethylene glycol (GIAT) has been prepared by free radical polymerization viz. organic solventless approach with different monomer ratios. The nature of bonding and structural identification of GIAT hydrogels were characterized by FT-IR spectroscopy. The surface morphology of gold gel was examined using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). In addition, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was used to identify the size of gold nano particles. The in vitro biocompatibility of GIAT hydrogel has been evaluated in 3T3 fibroblast cell lines. The obtained results show that gold nano particle incorporated hydrogel possess ~ 99% of cell proliferation. Followed by, the impact of gold nano particles on swelling, surface morphology was studied. The consecutive preparation of hydrogel, effect of different pH conditions, and stoichiometry of monomeric units have also been discussed. The degree of swelling was measured in carbonate buffer solutions for 24 h period with varying pH such as 1.2, 6.0, 7.4 and 10.0. The obtained results showed that the stoichiometry of itaconic acid and gold nano particles plays an essential role in modifying the nature of GIAT polymeric hydrogels. In conclusion, promising Au-nano incorporated pH-sensitive bio polymeric hydrogels were prepared and characterized. The unique properties of these Au-nano hydrogel make them attractive use in biomedical applications. - Highlights: • Itaconic acid based hydrogels were developed viz. greener organic solvent less approach. • The enhanced equilibrium swelling at acidic and basic medium was observed for nano-Au-incorporated nano composite hydrogels. • The prepared GIAT hydrogel showed ~ 99% of cell proliferation. • This kind of pH-sensitive polymeric hydrogels may be useful for controlled drug delivery system.

  12. pH-responsive poly(aspartic acid) hydrogel-coated magnetite nanoparticles for biomedical applications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vega-Chacón, Jaime; Arbeláez, María Isabel Amaya; Jorge, Janaina Habib; Marques, Rodrigo Fernando C; Jafelicci, Miguel

    2017-08-01

    A novel multifunctional nanosystem formed by magnetite nanoparticles coated with pH-responsive poly(aspartic acid) hydrogel was developed. Magnetite nanoparticles (Fe 3 O 4 ) have been intensively investigated for biomedical applications due to their magnetic properties and dimensions similar to the biostructures. Poly(aspartic acid) is a water-soluble, biodegradable and biocompatible polymer, which features makes it a potential candidate for biomedical applications. The nanoparticles surface modification was carried out by crosslinking polysuccinimide on the magnetite nanoparticles surface and hydrolyzing the succinimide units in mild alkaline medium to obtain the magnetic poly(aspartic acid) hydrogel. The surface modification in each step was confirmed by DRIFTS, TEM and zeta potential measurements. The hydrodynamic diameter of the nanosystems decreases as the pH value decreases. The nanosystems showed high colloidal stability in water and no cytotoxicity was detected, which make these nanosystems suitable for biomedical applications. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. Oral delivery of insulin using pH-sensitive hydrogels based on polyvinyl alcohol grafted with acrylic acid/methacrylic acid by radiation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nho, Young-Chang [Radiation Application Research Division, Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon 305-600 (Korea, Republic of)]. E-mail: ycnho@kaeri.re.kr; Park, Sung-Eun [Radiation Application Research Division, Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Daejeon 305-600 (Korea, Republic of); Kim, Hyung-Il [College of Engineering, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 305-764 (Korea, Republic of); Hwang, Taek-Sung [College of Engineering, Chungnam National University, Daejeon 305-764 (Korea, Republic of)

    2005-07-01

    The pH-responsive hydrogels were studied as a drug carrier for the protection of insulin from the acidic environment of the stomach before releasing in the small intestine. Hydrogels based on poly(vinyl alcohol) networks grafted with acrylic acid or methacrylic acid were prepared via a two-step process. Poly(vinyl alcohol) hydrogels were prepared by gamma ray irradiation (50 kGy) and then followed by grafting either acrylic acid or methacrylic acid onto this poly(vinyl alcohol) hydrogels with subsequent irradiation (5-20 kGy). These graft hydrogels showed pH-sensitive swelling behavior. These hydrogels were used as carrier for the controlled release of insulin. The in vitro release of insulin was observed for the insulin-loaded hydrogels in a simulated intestinal fluid (pH 6.8) but not in a simulated gastric fluid (pH 1.2). The release behavior of insulin in vivo in a rat model confirmed the effectiveness of the oral delivery of insulin to control the level of glucose.

  14. Oral delivery of insulin using pH-sensitive hydrogels based on polyvinyl alcohol grafted with acrylic acid/methacrylic acid by radiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nho, Young-Chang; Park, Sung-Eun; Kim, Hyung-Il; Hwang, Taek-Sung

    2005-01-01

    The pH-responsive hydrogels were studied as a drug carrier for the protection of insulin from the acidic environment of the stomach before releasing in the small intestine. Hydrogels based on poly(vinyl alcohol) networks grafted with acrylic acid or methacrylic acid were prepared via a two-step process. Poly(vinyl alcohol) hydrogels were prepared by gamma ray irradiation (50 kGy) and then followed by grafting either acrylic acid or methacrylic acid onto this poly(vinyl alcohol) hydrogels with subsequent irradiation (5-20 kGy). These graft hydrogels showed pH-sensitive swelling behavior. These hydrogels were used as carrier for the controlled release of insulin. The in vitro release of insulin was observed for the insulin-loaded hydrogels in a simulated intestinal fluid (pH 6.8) but not in a simulated gastric fluid (pH 1.2). The release behavior of insulin in vivo in a rat model confirmed the effectiveness of the oral delivery of insulin to control the level of glucose

  15. Preparation and physico-chemical properties of hydrogels from carboxymethyl cassava starch crosslinked with citric acid

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boonkham, Sasikan; Sangseethong, Kunruedee; Chatakanon, Pathama; Niamnuy, Chalida; Nakasaki, Kiyohiko; Sriroth, Klanarong

    2014-06-01

    Recently, environmentally friendly hydrogels prepared from renewable bio-based resources have drawn significant attention from both industrial and academic sectors. In this study, chemically crosslinked hydrogels have been developed from cassava starch which is a bio-based polymer using a non-toxic citric acid as a crosslinking agent. Cassava starch was first modified by carboxymethylation to improve its water absorbency property. The carboxymethyl cassava starch (CMCS) obtained was then crosslinked with citric acid at different concentrations and reaction times. The gel fraction of hydrogels increased progressively with increasing citric acid concentration. Free swelling capacity of hydrogels in de-ionized water, saline solution and buffers at various pHs as well as absorption under load were investigated. The results revealed that swelling behavior and mechanical characteristic of hydrogels depended on the citric acid concentration used in reaction. Increasing citric acid concentration resulted in hydrogels with stronger network but lower swelling and absorption capacity. The cassava starch hydrogels developed were sensitive to ionic strength and pH of surrounding medium, showing much reduced swelling capacity in saline salt solution and acidic buffers.

  16. Synthesis and characterization of hyaluronic acid/human-like collagen hydrogels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang, Jingjing; Ma, Xiaoxuan; Fan, Daidi; Zhu, Chenhui; Deng, Jianjun; Hui, Junfeng; Ma, Pei

    2014-01-01

    Injectable hydrogel plays an important role in soft tissue filling and repair. We report an injectable hydrogel based on hyaluronic acid (HA) and human-like collagen (HLC), both with favorable biocompatibility and biodegradability. These two types of biomacromolecules were crosslinked with 1,4-butanediol diglycidyl ether to form a three-dimensional network. The redundant crosslinker was removed by dialysis and distillation. An HA-based hydrogel prepared by the same method was used as a control. The cytocompatibility was studied with a Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) test. Carbazole colorimetry was used to analyze the in vitro degradation rate. The histocompatibility was evaluated by hematoxylin and eosin (H and E) staining analysis and immunohistochemical analysis. The CCK-8 assay demonstrated that the HA/HLC hydrogel was less cytotoxic than the HA-based hydrogel and could promote baby hamster kidney cell (BHK) proliferation. The cell adhesion indicated that BHK could grow well on the surface of the materials and maintain good cell viability. The in vitro degradation test showed that the HA/HLC hydrogel had a longer degradation time and an excellent antienzyme ability. In vivo injection showed that there was little inflammatory response to HA/HLC after 1, 2, and 4 weeks. Therefore, the HA/HLC hydrogel is a promising biomaterial for soft tissue filling and repair. - Highlights: • Human-like collagen was used with hyaluronic acid to prepare soft tissue filling meterials. • 1,4-Butanediol diglycidyl ether (BDDE) was introduced to treat the hydrogels. • The addition of human-like collagen could improve the biological properties of hydrogels

  17. Synthesis and characterization of hyaluronic acid/human-like collagen hydrogels

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Zhang, Jingjing; Ma, Xiaoxuan, E-mail: xiaoxuanma@163.com; Fan, Daidi, E-mail: fandaidi@nwu.edu.cn; Zhu, Chenhui; Deng, Jianjun; Hui, Junfeng; Ma, Pei

    2014-10-01

    Injectable hydrogel plays an important role in soft tissue filling and repair. We report an injectable hydrogel based on hyaluronic acid (HA) and human-like collagen (HLC), both with favorable biocompatibility and biodegradability. These two types of biomacromolecules were crosslinked with 1,4-butanediol diglycidyl ether to form a three-dimensional network. The redundant crosslinker was removed by dialysis and distillation. An HA-based hydrogel prepared by the same method was used as a control. The cytocompatibility was studied with a Cell Counting Kit-8 (CCK-8) test. Carbazole colorimetry was used to analyze the in vitro degradation rate. The histocompatibility was evaluated by hematoxylin and eosin (H and E) staining analysis and immunohistochemical analysis. The CCK-8 assay demonstrated that the HA/HLC hydrogel was less cytotoxic than the HA-based hydrogel and could promote baby hamster kidney cell (BHK) proliferation. The cell adhesion indicated that BHK could grow well on the surface of the materials and maintain good cell viability. The in vitro degradation test showed that the HA/HLC hydrogel had a longer degradation time and an excellent antienzyme ability. In vivo injection showed that there was little inflammatory response to HA/HLC after 1, 2, and 4 weeks. Therefore, the HA/HLC hydrogel is a promising biomaterial for soft tissue filling and repair. - Highlights: • Human-like collagen was used with hyaluronic acid to prepare soft tissue filling meterials. • 1,4-Butanediol diglycidyl ether (BDDE) was introduced to treat the hydrogels. • The addition of human-like collagen could improve the biological properties of hydrogels.

  18. Ibuprofen-conjugated hyaluronate/polygalacturonic acid hydrogel for the prevention of epidural fibrosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lin, Cheng-Yi; Peng, Hsiu-Hui; Chen, Mei-Hsiu; Sun, Jui-Sheng; Chang, Chih-Ju; Liu, Tse-Ying; Chen, Ming-Hong

    2016-05-01

    The formation of fibrous tissue is part of the natural healing response following a laminectomy. Severe scar tissue adhesion, known as epidural fibrosis, is a common cause of failed back surgery syndrome. In this study, by combining the advantages of drug treatment with a physical barrier, an ibuprofen-conjugated crosslinkable polygalacturonic acid and hyaluronic acid hydrogel was developed for epidural fibrosis prevention. Conjugation was confirmed and measured by 1D(1)H NMR spectroscopy.In vitroanalysis showed that the ibuprofen-conjugated polygalacturonic acid-hyaluronic acid hydrogel showed low cytotoxicity. In addition, the conjugated ibuprofen decreased prostaglandin E2production of the lipopolysaccharide-induced RAW264.7 cells. Histological data inin vivostudies indicated that the scar tissue adhesion of laminectomized male adult rats was reduced by the application of our ibuprofen-conjugated polygalacturonic acid-hyaluronic acid hydrogel. Its use also reduced the population of giant cells and collagen deposition of scar tissue without inducing extensive cell recruitment. The results of this study therefore suggest that the local delivery of ibuprofenviaa polygalacturonic acid-hyaluronic acid-based hydrogel reduces the possibility of epidural fibrosis. © The Author(s) 2016.

  19. Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-lactic acid nanocarrier-based degradable hydrogels for restoring the vaginal microenvironment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rajan, Sujata Sundara; Turovskiy, Yevgeniy; Singh, Yashveer; Chikindas, Michael L.; Sinko, Patrick J.

    2014-01-01

    Women with bacterial vaginosis (BV) display reduced vaginal acidity, which make them susceptible to associated infections such as HIV. In the current study, poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) nanocarrier-based degradable hydrogels were developed for the controlled release of lactic acid in the vagina of BV-infected women. PEG-lactic acid (PEG-LA) nanocarriers were prepared by covalently attaching lactic acid to 8-arm PEG-SH via cleavable thioester bonds. PEG-LA nanocarriers with 4 copies of lactic acid per molecule provided controlled release of lactic acid with a maximum release of 23% and 47% bound lactic acid in phosphate buffered saline (PBS, pH 7.4) and acetate buffer (AB, pH 4.3), respectively. The PEG nanocarrier-based hydrogels were formed by cross-linking the PEG-LA nanocarriers with 4-arm PEG-NHS via degradable thioester bonds. The nanocarrier-based hydrogels formed within 20 min under ambient conditions and exhibited an elastic modulus that was 100-fold higher than the viscous modulus. The nanocarrier-based degradable hydrogels provided controlled release of lactic acid for several hours; however, a maximum release of only 10%–14% bound lactic acid was observed possibly due to steric hindrance of the polymer chains in the cross-linked hydrogel. In contrast, hydrogels with passively entrapped lactic acid showed burst release with complete release within 30 min. Lactic acid showed antimicrobial activity against the primary BV pathogen Gardnerella vaginalis with a minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of 3.6 mg/ml. In addition, the hydrogels with passively entrapped lactic acid showed retained antimicrobial activity with complete inhibition G. vaginalis growth within 48 h. The results of the current study collectively demonstrate the potential of PEG nanocarrier-based hydrogels for vaginal administration of lactic acid for preventing and treating BV. PMID:25223229

  20. Ultrasound stimulated release of gallic acid from chitin hydrogel matrix

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jiang, Huixin; Kobayashi, Takaomi, E-mail: takaomi@nagaokaut.ac.jp

    2017-06-01

    Ultrasound (US) stimulated drug release was examined in this study using a chitin hydrogel matrix loaded with gallic acid (GA), a drug used for wound healing and anticancer. Using phase inversion, GA-chitin hydrogels were prepared from chitin-dimethylacetamide (DMAc)/lithium chloride (LiCl) solution in the presence of GA, with 24 h exposure of the solution to water vapor. The GA release from the GA-chitin hydrogel was examined under different US powers of 0–30 W at 43 kHz. The effects of GA loading amounts in the hydrogels (0.54, 0.43, and 0.25 mg/cm{sup 3}) and chitin concentrations (0.1, 0.5, and 1 wt%) on the release behaviors were recorded under 43 kHz US exposure at 30 W. Results show that US accelerated the release efficiencies for all samples. Furthermore, the release efficiency increased concomitantly with increasing US power, GA loading amount, and decrease of the chitin concentration. The highest release rate of 0.74 μg/mL·min was obtained from 0.54 mg/cm{sup 3} of GA-loaded hydrogel fabricated from a 0.1 wt% chitin mixture solution under 43 kHz US exposure at 30 W: nine times higher than that of the sample without US exposure. The hydrogel viscoelasticity demonstrated that the US irradiation rigidified the material. FT-IR showed that US can break the hydrogen bonds in the GA-chitin hydrogels. - Highlights: • Ultrasound (US) stimulated Gallic acid (GA) release from chitin hydrogel was studied. • The release efficiency of GA from chitin hydrogel increased nine times when irradiated by 43 kHz US compared with the sample without US. • Generalized 2D correlation and deconvolution study of FT-IR showed that US could promote the GA release by breaking hydrogen bonds.

  1. Ultrasound stimulated release of gallic acid from chitin hydrogel matrix

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jiang, Huixin; Kobayashi, Takaomi

    2017-01-01

    Ultrasound (US) stimulated drug release was examined in this study using a chitin hydrogel matrix loaded with gallic acid (GA), a drug used for wound healing and anticancer. Using phase inversion, GA-chitin hydrogels were prepared from chitin-dimethylacetamide (DMAc)/lithium chloride (LiCl) solution in the presence of GA, with 24 h exposure of the solution to water vapor. The GA release from the GA-chitin hydrogel was examined under different US powers of 0–30 W at 43 kHz. The effects of GA loading amounts in the hydrogels (0.54, 0.43, and 0.25 mg/cm 3 ) and chitin concentrations (0.1, 0.5, and 1 wt%) on the release behaviors were recorded under 43 kHz US exposure at 30 W. Results show that US accelerated the release efficiencies for all samples. Furthermore, the release efficiency increased concomitantly with increasing US power, GA loading amount, and decrease of the chitin concentration. The highest release rate of 0.74 μg/mL·min was obtained from 0.54 mg/cm 3 of GA-loaded hydrogel fabricated from a 0.1 wt% chitin mixture solution under 43 kHz US exposure at 30 W: nine times higher than that of the sample without US exposure. The hydrogel viscoelasticity demonstrated that the US irradiation rigidified the material. FT-IR showed that US can break the hydrogen bonds in the GA-chitin hydrogels. - Highlights: • Ultrasound (US) stimulated Gallic acid (GA) release from chitin hydrogel was studied. • The release efficiency of GA from chitin hydrogel increased nine times when irradiated by 43 kHz US compared with the sample without US. • Generalized 2D correlation and deconvolution study of FT-IR showed that US could promote the GA release by breaking hydrogen bonds.

  2. Effect of Maleic Acid Content on the Thermal Stability, Swelling Behaviour and Network Structure of Gelatin -Based Hydrogels Prepared by Gamma Irradiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Eid, M.; Dessouki, A.M.; Abdel-Ghaffar, M.A.

    2005-01-01

    The preparation of highly swelling hydrogels containing diprotic acid and gelatin carried out by gamma-irradiation of acrylamide/maleic acid/gelatine/water mixture at ambient temperature. Poly (acrylamide/maleic acid/gelatin) p(AAm/MA/G) hydrogels were prepared in different MA and G contents at low dose rate (0.94 kGy/h), and moderate dose rate (3.84 kGy/h). The prepared hydrogels were confirmed by FT1R . The effect of copolymer composition, dose and dose rate on the swelling behaviour and the type of water diffusion in the network structure of the hydrogels was discussed. Increasing of MA content and G in the initial mixture leads to an increase in the amount of MA and G in the gel system and decrease in the gelation percent. The swelling behaviours of the hydrogel prepared at moderate dose rate increased with increasing MA mole content in the gel system. On the other hand, no systematic dependence of swelling on MA content was observed for the hydrogels obtained at low dose rate. Pore structure of the hydrogels was monitored by using scanning electron microscopy. Systematic swelling of P(AAm/MA/G) hydrogels prepared at moderate dose rates can be explained by the homogeneous pore size distribution of network. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) was employed to study the effect of network structure formation on the thermal behavior of the copolymer. To give a better understanding of the thermal stability of polymers, the rate of the thermal decomposition of P(AAm/MA/G) hydrogels has been evaluated

  3. Synthesis and Properties of IPN Hydrogels Based on Konjac Glucomannan and Poly(acrylic acid)

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Bing LIU; Zhi Lan LIU; Ren Xi ZHUO

    2006-01-01

    Novel interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) hydrogels based on konjac glucomannan (KGM) and poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) were prepared by polymerization and cross-linking of acrylic acid (AA) in the pre-fabricated KGM gel. The IPN gel was analyzed by FT-IR. The studies on the equilibrium swelling ratio of IPN hydrogels revealed their sensitive response to environmental pH value. The results of in vitro degradation showed that the IPN hydrogels retain the enzymatic degradation character of KGM.

  4. Synthesis of superabsorbent hydrogel by radiation crosslinking of acrylic acid, semi-refined kappa-carrageenan and sugarcane bagasse blend

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jizmundo, Leonie-Lou Dominguez

    2015-04-01

    Superabsorbent hydrogels have three-dimensional networks that enable it to exhibit great water absorption capacity leading to its promising applications. However, existing commercial hydrogels are mainly acrylic acid which causes environmental problems. In this study, the incorporation of agricultural waste as filler and polysaccharide from natural sources as binder for the production of superabsorbent hydrogel was done to reduce the use of acrylic acid as well as its environmental impact while adding value to the incorporated materials. A series of superabsorbent hydrogel with the blend of acrylic acid, semi-refined kappa carrageenan and sugarcane bagasse were synthesized by radiation crosslinking. The gel fraction and swelling capacity of the hydrogels were determined and studied. The characterizations were facilitated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy technique (FTIR) and Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA). In the results obtained from analyses, the characteristic peaks of acrylic acid and sugarcane bagasse were observed in the FTIR spectra and the three step peaks if synthesized hydrogel in its TGA implies an improvement in thermal stability of the product. The synthesized superabsorbent hydrogel blends had exhibited comparable gel fraction to that of the polyacrylic acid hydrogel, had great swelling capacity, and achieved equilibrium degree of swelling within 72-96 hours. The optimum synthesized superabsorbent hydrogel is 3% semi-refined kappa-carrageenan, 3% sugarcane bagasse, 15% acrylic acid neutralize up to 50% and irradiated at 15kGy dose which exhibited a swelling of 599.53 and gel fraction of 39.73. (author)

  5. Controlled Release of Indomethacin from Smart Starch-Based Hydrogels Prepared Acrylic Acid and b-Cyclodextrin as a Nanocarrier

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hossein Ghasemzadeh Mohammadi

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Controlled release of drugs can reduce the undesired effects of drug level fluctuations, and diminish the side effects as well as improve the therapeutic outcome of the drugs. In recent year, the scope of the drug delivery systems has been greatly expanded by the development of various hydrogels. The present work has focused on the design of a pH sensitive drug delivery system (DDS based on starch, acrylic acid (AA and β-cyclodextrins for controlled delivery of indomethacin. The hydrogels were prepared via graft polymerization of acrylic acid (AA onto starch and β-cyclodextrins backbones by a free radical polymerization technique. Cyclodextrins are able to form water-soluble complexes with many lipophilic water-insoluble drugs. In aqueous solutions, the drug molecules located in the central cavity of the cyclodextrin are in a dynamic equilibrium with free drug molecules. The interaction of drug with the polymer was evidenced by FTIR spectroscopy and thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA. The morphology of the samples was examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM. The results showed that the hydrogels have good porosity and provided high surface area for the loading and release of drugs. Drug release behavior was carried out at physiological conditions of phosphate buffer, pH 8. In basic pH (like the intestine medium the hydrogels released the indomethacin, but in acidic pH (like the stomach medium there was no tendency to drug release. By increasing the amount of cyclodextrin, the rate of drug loading and release increased due to the dynamic equilibrium and interaction between the loaded drug and the cyclodextrin. This study has demonstrated that the hydrogel matrices are potentially suitable for controlled-release systems.

  6. Gamma ray-induced synthesis of hyaluronic acid/chondroitin sulfate-based hydrogels for biomedical applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Linlin; Gwon, Hui-Jeong; Lim, Youn-Mook; Nho, Young-Chang; Kim, So Yeon

    2015-01-01

    Hyaluronic acid (HA)/chondroitin sulfate (CS)/poly(acrylic acid) (PAAc) hydrogel systems were synthesized by gamma-ray irradiation without the use of additional initiators or crosslinking agents to achieve a biocompatible hydrogel system for skin tissue engineering. HA and CS derivatives with polymerizable residues were synthesized. Then, the hydrogels composed of glycosaminoglycans, HA, CS, and a synthetic ionic polymer, PAAc, were prepared using gamma-ray irradiation through simultaneous free radical copolymerization and crosslinking. The physicochemical properties of the HA/CS/PAAc hydrogels having various compositions were investigated to evaluate their feasibility as artificial skin substitutes. The gel fractions of the HA/CS/PAAc hydrogels increased in absorbed doses up to 15 kGy, and they exhibited 91-93% gel fractions under 15 kGy radiation. All of the HA/CS/PAAc hydrogels exhibited relatively high water contents of over 90% and reached an equilibrium swelling state within 24 h. The enzymatic degradation kinetics of the HA/CS/PAAc hydrogels depended on both the concentration of the hyaluronidase solution and the ratio of HA/CS/PAAc. The in vitro drug release profiles of the HA/CS/PAAc hydrogels were significantly influenced by the interaction between the ionic groups in the hydrogels and the ionic drug molecules as well as the swelling of the hydrogels. From the cytotoxicity results of human keratinocyte (HaCaT) cells cultured with extracts of the HA/CS/PAAc hydrogels, all of the HA/CS/PAAc hydrogel samples tested showed relatively high cell viabilities of more than 82%, and did not induce any significant adverse effects on cell viability.

  7. Biodegradable hyaluronic acid hydrogels to control release of dexamethasone through aqueous Diels–Alder chemistry for adipose tissue engineering

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Fan, Ming; Ma, Ye; Zhang, Ziwei; Mao, Jiahui [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing (China); Tan, Huaping, E-mail: hptan@njust.edu.cn [School of Materials Science and Engineering, Nanjing University of Science and Technology, Nanjing (China); Hu, Xiaohong [School of Material Engineering, Jinling Institute of Technology, Nanjing (China)

    2015-11-01

    A robust synthetic strategy of biopolymer-based hydrogels has been developed where hyaluronic acid derivatives reacted through aqueous Diels–Alder chemistry without the involvement of chemical catalysts, allowing for control and sustain release of dexamethasone. To conjugate the hydrogel, furan and maleimide functionalized hyaluronic acid were synthesized, respectively, as well as furan functionalized dexamethasone, for the covalent immobilization. Chemical structure, gelation time, morphologies, swelling kinetics, weight loss, compressive modulus and dexamethasone release of the hydrogel system in PBS at 37 °C were studied. The results demonstrated that the aqueous Diels–Alder chemistry provides an extremely selective reaction and proceeds with high efficiency for hydrogel conjugation and covalent immobilization of dexamethasone. Cell culture results showed that the dexamethasone immobilized hydrogel was noncytotoxic and preserved proliferation of entrapped human adipose-derived stem cells. This synthetic approach uniquely allows for the direct fabrication of biologically functionalized gel scaffolds with ideal structures for adipose tissue engineering, which provides a competitive alternative to conventional conjugation techniques such as copper mediated click chemistry. - Highlights: • A biodegradable hyaluronic acid hydrogel was crosslinked via aqueous Diels–Alder chemistry. • Dexamethasone was covalently immobilized into the hyaluronic acid hydrogel via aqueous Diels–Alder chemistry. • Dexamethasone could be released from the Diels–Alder hyaluronic acid hydrogel in a controlled fashion.

  8. Biodegradable hyaluronic acid hydrogels to control release of dexamethasone through aqueous Diels–Alder chemistry for adipose tissue engineering

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Fan, Ming; Ma, Ye; Zhang, Ziwei; Mao, Jiahui; Tan, Huaping; Hu, Xiaohong

    2015-01-01

    A robust synthetic strategy of biopolymer-based hydrogels has been developed where hyaluronic acid derivatives reacted through aqueous Diels–Alder chemistry without the involvement of chemical catalysts, allowing for control and sustain release of dexamethasone. To conjugate the hydrogel, furan and maleimide functionalized hyaluronic acid were synthesized, respectively, as well as furan functionalized dexamethasone, for the covalent immobilization. Chemical structure, gelation time, morphologies, swelling kinetics, weight loss, compressive modulus and dexamethasone release of the hydrogel system in PBS at 37 °C were studied. The results demonstrated that the aqueous Diels–Alder chemistry provides an extremely selective reaction and proceeds with high efficiency for hydrogel conjugation and covalent immobilization of dexamethasone. Cell culture results showed that the dexamethasone immobilized hydrogel was noncytotoxic and preserved proliferation of entrapped human adipose-derived stem cells. This synthetic approach uniquely allows for the direct fabrication of biologically functionalized gel scaffolds with ideal structures for adipose tissue engineering, which provides a competitive alternative to conventional conjugation techniques such as copper mediated click chemistry. - Highlights: • A biodegradable hyaluronic acid hydrogel was crosslinked via aqueous Diels–Alder chemistry. • Dexamethasone was covalently immobilized into the hyaluronic acid hydrogel via aqueous Diels–Alder chemistry. • Dexamethasone could be released from the Diels–Alder hyaluronic acid hydrogel in a controlled fashion

  9. An injectable and biodegradable hydrogel based on poly(α,β-aspartic acid) derivatives for localized drug delivery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lu, Caicai; Wang, Xiaojuan; Wu, Guolin; Wang, Jingjing; Wang, Yinong; Gao, Hui; Ma, Jianbiao

    2014-03-01

    An injectable hydrogel via hydrazone cross-linking was prepared under mild conditions without addition of cross-linker or catalyst. Hydrazine and aldehyde modified poly(aspartic acid)s were used as two gel precursors. Both of them are water-soluble and biodegradable polymers with a protein-like structure, and obtained by aminolysis reaction of polysuccinimide. The latter can be prepared by thermal polycondensation of aspartic acid. Hydrogels were prepared in PBS solution and characterized by different methods including gel content and swelling, Fourier transformed-infrared spectroscopy, and in vitro degradation experiment. A scanning electron microscope viewed the interior morphology of the obtained hydrogels, which showed porous three-dimensional structures. Different porous sizes were present, which could be well controlled by the degree of aldehyde substitution in precursor poly(aspartic acid) derivatives. The doxorubicin-loaded hydrogels were prepared and showed a pH-sensitive release profile. The release rate can be accelerated by decreasing the environmental pH from a physiological to a weak acidic condition. Moreover, the cell adhesion and growth behaviors on the hydrogel were studied and the polymeric hydrogel showed good biocompatibility. Copyright © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  10. Gamma ray-induced synthesis of hyaluronic acid/chondroitin sulfate-based hydrogels for biomedical applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhao, Linlin; Gwon, Hui-Jeong; Lim, Youn-Mook; Nho, Young-Chang; Kim, So Yeon

    2015-01-01

    Hyaluronic acid (HA)/chondroitin sulfate (CS)/poly(acrylic acid) (PAAc) hydrogel systems were synthesized by gamma-ray irradiation without the use of additional initiators or crosslinking agents to achieve a biocompatible hydrogel system for skin tissue engineering. HA and CS derivatives with polymerizable residues were synthesized. Then, the hydrogels composed of glycosaminoglycans, HA, CS, and a synthetic ionic polymer, PAAc, were prepared using gamma-ray irradiation through simultaneous free radical copolymerization and crosslinking. The physicochemical properties of the HA/CS/PAAc hydrogels having various compositions were investigated to evaluate their feasibility as artificial skin substitutes. The gel fractions of the HA/CS/PAAc hydrogels increased in absorbed doses up to 15 kGy, and they exhibited 91–93% gel fractions under 15 kGy radiation. All of the HA/CS/PAAc hydrogels exhibited relatively high water contents of over 90% and reached an equilibrium swelling state within 24 h. The enzymatic degradation kinetics of the HA/CS/PAAc hydrogels depended on both the concentration of the hyaluronidase solution and the ratio of HA/CS/PAAc. The in vitro drug release profiles of the HA/CS/PAAc hydrogels were significantly influenced by the interaction between the ionic groups in the hydrogels and the ionic drug molecules as well as the swelling of the hydrogels. From the cytotoxicity results of human keratinocyte (HaCaT) cells cultured with extracts of the HA/CS/PAAc hydrogels, all of the HA/CS/PAAc hydrogel samples tested showed relatively high cell viabilities of more than 82%, and did not induce any significant adverse effects on cell viability. - Highlights: • HA/CS/PAAc hydrogels were synthesized by gamma-ray irradiation. • HA/CS/PAAc hydrogels exhibited 91–93% gel fractions under 15 kGy radiation. • All of the HA/CS/PAAc hydrogels exhibited high water contents of over 90%. • The hydrogel samples showed relatively high cell viabilities of more than

  11. Fabrication of Hyaluronan-Poly(vinylphosphonic acid-Chitosan Hydrogel for Wound Healing Application

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dang Hoang Phuc

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available A new hydrogel made of hyaluronan, poly(vinylphosphonic acid, and chitosan (HA/PVPA/CS hydrogel was fabricated and characterized to be used for skin wound healing application. Firstly, the component ratio of hydrogel was studied to optimize the reaction effectiveness. Next, its microstructure was observed by light microscope. The chemical interaction in hydrogel was evaluated by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy. Then, a study on its degradation rate was performed. After that, antibacterial activity of the hydrogel was examined by agar diffusion method. Finally, in vivo study was performed to evaluate hydrogel’s biocompatibility. The results showed that the optimized hydrogel had a three-dimensional highly porous structure with the pore size ranging from about 25 µm to less than 125 µm. Besides, with a degradation time of two weeks, it could give enough time for the formation of extracellular matrix framework during remodeling stages. Furthermore, the antibacterial test showed that hydrogel has antimicrobial activity against E. coli. Finally, in vivo study indicated that the hydrogel was not rejected by the immune system and could enhance wound healing process. Overall, HA/PVPA/CS hydrogel was successfully fabricated and results implied its potential for wound healing applications.

  12. Removal of some basic dyes by poly (Vinyl Alcohol/ acrylic acid)Hydrogel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hegazy, S.A.; Abdel-AAl, S.E.; Abdel-Rehim, H.A.; Khalifa, N.A.; El-Hosseiny, E.M.

    2000-01-01

    A study has made on the preparation and properties of poly (vinyl alcohol/ acrylic acid) hydrogel for the purpose of removal of cationic dyes from aqueous solutions. The effect of dose and monomer concentration on the uptake property of the hydrogel toward dye was studied. The uptake of basic methylene blue-9 dye with PVA/AAc was studied by the batch adsorption technique. The effect of pH on the dye uptake was demonstrated to find out that the suitable pH for maximum uptake occurred at pH 5. It was observed that as the concentration of dye is increased the dye uptake decreased. Furthermore, the uptake of dye by hydrogels increased as the temperature was elevated. The recovery of dye adsorbed is possible by treating the hydrogel with 5% HCl. The results obtained suggested this hydrogel possessed good removal properties towards basic methylene blue-9 dye, and this suggests that such hydrogels could be acceptable for practical uses

  13. Surface-modified silk hydrogel containing hydroxyapatite nanoparticle with hyaluronic acid-dopamine conjugate.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Hyung Hwan; Park, Jong Bo; Kang, Min Ji; Park, Young Hwan

    2014-09-01

    Silk fibroin/hydroxyapatite (SF/HAp) composite hydrogels were fabricated in this study, having different HAp contents (0-33 wt%) in SF matrix hydrogel. Surface modification of HAp nanoparticle with hyaluronic acid (HA)-dopamine (DA) conjugate improved a dispersibility of HAp in aqueous SF solution due to its negatively charged surface and therefore, fabrication of the SF composite hydrogel having HAp nanoparticles inside could be possible. Zeta potential of surface-modified HAP was examined by ELS. It demonstrates that surface of HAp was well modified to a negative charge with HA-DA. Morphological structure of SF hydrogel containing surface-modified HAp was examined by FE-SEM for analyzing pore structure of hydrogel and deposition of HAp nanoparticle in SF hydrogel. It was found that HAp nanoparticles were uniformly deposited on the pore wall of SF hydrogel. Structural characteristics of SF/HAp composite hydrogel was performed using X-ray diffraction and FT-IR analysis. It was found that β-sheet crystal conformation of SF was significantly influenced by the HAp content during gelation of a mixture of SF and HAp. As a result of MTT assay, the SF/HAp composite hydrogel showed excellent cell proliferation ability. Therefore, it is expected that SF hydrogel containing HAp nanoparticles has a high potential as bone regeneration scaffold. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  14. The synthesis and characterization of hydrogel chitosan-alginate with the addition of plasticizer lauric acid for wound dressing application

    Science.gov (United States)

    Izak Rudyardjo, Djony; Wijayanto, Setiawan

    2017-05-01

    The writers conducted a study about the synthesis and characterization of hydrogel chitosan-alginate by addition plasticizer lauric acid for wound dressing application. The purpose was to find out the impact of lauric acid concentration variation on hydrogel chitosan-alginate to get the best mechanical and physical properties to be applied as wound dressing in accordance with existing standards. This study used commercially chitosan from extract of shells crab, commercially-available alginate from the extract of sargassum sp, and commercial lauric acid from palm starch. The addition of lauric acid was aimed to repair mechanical properties of hydrogel. The composition of chitosan-alginate is 4:1 (v/v), while the lauric acid concentration variations are 0%, 1%, 2%, 3%, 4%, and 5% w/v. The characterization of mechanical properties test (Tensile strength and Elongation at break) at hydrogel showed the hydrogel chitosan-alginate-lauric acid have the characteristic which meets the standard of mechanical properties for human skin. The best performance of hydrogel chitosan-alginate-lauric acid was obtained by increasing luric acid concentration by 4%, which has a thickness value of 125.46±0.63 µm, elongation 28.89±1.01 %, tensile strength (9.01±0.65) MPa, and ability to absorb liquids (601.45 ±1.24) %.

  15. 3D bioprinting of methacrylated hyaluronic acid (MeHA) hydrogel with intrinsic osteogenicity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Poldervaart, Michelle T; Goversen, Birgit; de Ruijter, Mylene; Abbadessa, Anna; Melchels, Ferry P W; Öner, F Cumhur; Dhert, Wouter J A; Vermonden, Tina; Alblas, Jacqueline

    2017-01-01

    In bone regenerative medicine there is a need for suitable bone substitutes. Hydrogels have excellent biocompatible and biodegradable characteristics, but their visco-elastic properties limit their applicability, especially with respect to 3D bioprinting. In this study, we modified the naturally occurring extracellular matrix glycosaminoglycan hyaluronic acid (HA), in order to yield photo-crosslinkable hydrogels with increased mechanical stiffness and long-term stability, and with minimal decrease in cytocompatibility. Application of these tailor-made methacrylated hyaluronic acid (MeHA) gels for bone tissue engineering and 3D bioprinting was the subject of investigation. Visco-elastic properties of MeHA gels, measured by rheology and dynamic mechanical analysis, showed that irradiation of the hydrogels with UV light led to increased storage moduli and elastic moduli, indicating increasing gel rigidity. Subsequently, human bone marrow derived mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) were incorporated into MeHA hydrogels, and cell viability remained 64.4% after 21 days of culture. Osteogenic differentiation of MSCs occurred spontaneously in hydrogels with high concentrations of MeHA polymer, in absence of additional osteogenic stimuli. Addition of bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) to the culture medium further increased osteogenic differentiation, as evidenced by increased matrix mineralisation. MeHA hydrogels demonstrated to be suitable for 3D bioprinting, and were printed into porous and anatomically shaped scaffolds. Taken together, photosensitive MeHA-based hydrogels fulfilled our criteria for cellular bioprinted bone constructs within a narrow window of concentration.

  16. 3D bioprinting of methacrylated hyaluronic acid (MeHA hydrogel with intrinsic osteogenicity.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Michelle T Poldervaart

    Full Text Available In bone regenerative medicine there is a need for suitable bone substitutes. Hydrogels have excellent biocompatible and biodegradable characteristics, but their visco-elastic properties limit their applicability, especially with respect to 3D bioprinting. In this study, we modified the naturally occurring extracellular matrix glycosaminoglycan hyaluronic acid (HA, in order to yield photo-crosslinkable hydrogels with increased mechanical stiffness and long-term stability, and with minimal decrease in cytocompatibility. Application of these tailor-made methacrylated hyaluronic acid (MeHA gels for bone tissue engineering and 3D bioprinting was the subject of investigation. Visco-elastic properties of MeHA gels, measured by rheology and dynamic mechanical analysis, showed that irradiation of the hydrogels with UV light led to increased storage moduli and elastic moduli, indicating increasing gel rigidity. Subsequently, human bone marrow derived mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs were incorporated into MeHA hydrogels, and cell viability remained 64.4% after 21 days of culture. Osteogenic differentiation of MSCs occurred spontaneously in hydrogels with high concentrations of MeHA polymer, in absence of additional osteogenic stimuli. Addition of bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2 to the culture medium further increased osteogenic differentiation, as evidenced by increased matrix mineralisation. MeHA hydrogels demonstrated to be suitable for 3D bioprinting, and were printed into porous and anatomically shaped scaffolds. Taken together, photosensitive MeHA-based hydrogels fulfilled our criteria for cellular bioprinted bone constructs within a narrow window of concentration.

  17. Humidity Induces Changes in the Dimensions of Hydrogel-Coated Wool Yarns

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lanlan Wang

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available Polymeric hydrogel based on acrylic acid (AA and N,N-dimethylacrylamide (DMAA was prepared by photopolymerization reaction, using nano-alumina as the inorganic crosslinker. Hydrogel-coated wool yarns determine their dimensional changes under humidity conditions. Surface morphology of the hydrogel-coated wool yarns was carried out using SEM microscopy. The hydrogel was further characterized by Fourier transformer infrared spectrum (FTIR, gel permeation chromatography (GPC, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC, thermogravimetry (TG and differential thermogravimetry (DTG. This contribution showed that UV-initiated polymerization coating wool yarns can change the functional properties of wool fibers.

  18. Design of a hybrid biomaterial for tissue engineering: Biopolymer-scaffold integrated with an autologous hydrogel carrying mesenchymal stem-cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weinstein-Oppenheimer, Caroline R; Brown, Donald I; Coloma, Rodrigo; Morales, Patricio; Reyna-Jeldes, Mauricio; Díaz, María J; Sánchez, Elizabeth; Acevedo, Cristian A

    2017-10-01

    Biologically active biomaterials as biopolymers and hydrogels have been used in medical applications providing favorable results in tissue engineering. In this research, a wound dressing device was designed by integration of an autologous clot hydrogel carrying mesenchymal stem-cells onto a biopolymeric scaffold. This hybrid biomaterial was tested in-vitro and in-vivo, and used in a human clinical case. The biopolymeric scaffold was made with gelatin, chitosan and hyaluronic acid, using a freeze-drying method. The scaffold was a porous material which was designed evaluating both physical properties (glass transition, melting temperature and pore size) and biological properties (cell viability and fibronectin expression). Two types of chitosan (120 and 300kDa) were used to manufacture the scaffold, being the high molecular weight the most biologically active and stable after sterilization with gamma irradiation (25kGy). A clot hydrogel was formulated with autologous plasma and calcium chloride, using an approach based on design of experiments. The optimum hydrogel was used to incorporate cells onto the porous scaffold, forming a wound dressing biomaterial. The wound dressing device was firstly tested in-vitro using human cells, and then, its biosecurity was evaluated in-vivo using a rabbit model. The in-vitro results showed high cell viability after one week (99.5%), high mitotic index (19.8%) and high fibronectin expression. The in-vivo application to rabbits showed adequate biodegradability capacity (between 1 and 2weeks), and the histological evaluation confirmed absence of rejection signs and reepithelization on the wound zone. Finally, the wound dressing biomaterial was used in a single human case to implant autologous cells on a skin surgery. The medical examination indicated high biocompatibility, partial biodegradation at one week, early regeneration capacity at 4weeks and absence of rejection signs. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  19. Supermacroporous chemically cross-linked poly(aspartic acid) hydrogels.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gyarmati, Benjámin; Mészár, E Zsuzsanna; Kiss, Lóránd; Deli, Mária A; László, Krisztina; Szilágyi, András

    2015-08-01

    Chemically cross-linked poly(aspartic acid) (PASP) gels were prepared by a solid-liquid phase separation technique, cryogelation, to achieve a supermacroporous interconnected pore structure. The precursor polymer of PASP, polysuccinimide (PSI) was cross-linked below the freezing point of the solvent and the forming crystals acted as templates for the pores. Dimethyl sulfoxide was chosen as solvent instead of the more commonly used water. Thus larger temperatures could be utilized for the preparation and the drawback of increase in specific volume of water upon freezing could be eliminated. The morphology of the hydrogels was characterized by scanning electron microscopy and interconnectivity of the pores was proven by the small flow resistance of the gels. Compression tests also confirmed the interconnected porous structure and the complete re-swelling and shape recovery of the supermacroporous PASP hydrogels. The prepared hydrogels are of interest for several biomedical applications as scaffolding materials because of their cytocompatibility, controllable morphology and pH-responsive character. Copyright © 2015 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Osteochondral defect repair using a polyvinyl alcohol-polyacrylic acid (PVA-PAAc) hydrogel.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bichara, David A; Bodugoz-Sentruk, Hatice; Ling, Doris; Malchau, Erik; Bragdon, Charles R; Muratoglu, Orhun K

    2014-08-01

    Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) hydrogels can be candidates for articular cartilage repair due to their high water content. We synthesized a PVA-poly(acrylic acid) (PAAc) hydrogel formulation and determined its ability to function as a treatment option for condylar osteochondral (OC) defects in a New Zealand white rabbit (NZWR) model for 12 weeks and 24 weeks. In addition to hydrogel OC implants, tensile bar-shaped hydrogels were also implanted subcutaneously to evaluate changes in mechanical properties as a function of in vivo duration. There were no statistically significant differences (p > 0.05) in the water content measured in the OC hydrogel implant that was harvested after 12 weeks and 24 weeks, and non-implanted controls. There were no statistically significant differences (p > 0.05) in the break stress, strain at break or modulus of the tensile bars either between groups. Histological analysis of the OC defect, synovial capsule and fibrous tissue around the tensile bars determined hydrogel biocompatibility. Twelve-week hydrogels were found to be in situ flush with the articular cartilage; meniscal tissue demonstrated an intact surface. Twenty-four week hydrogels protruded from the defect site due to lack of integration with subchondral tissue, causing fibrillation to the meniscal surface. Condylar micro-CT scans ruled out osteolysis and bone cysts of the subchondral bone, and no PVA-PAAc hydrogel contents were found in the synovial fluid. The PVA-PAAc hydrogel was determined to be fully biocompatible, maintained its properties over time, and performed well at the 12 week time point. Physical fixation of the PVA-PAAc hydrogel to the subchondral bone is required to ensure long-term performance of hydrogel plugs for OC defect repair.

  1. Preparation and characterization of polyacrylamide-modified kaolinite containing poly [acrylic acid-co-methylene bisacrylamide] nanocomposite hydrogels

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Zaharia, Anamaria; Sarbu, Andrei; Radu, Anita-Laura

    2015-01-01

    Novel nanocomposite hydrogel structures based on cross-linked poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) and kaolinite (Kaol), modified with different loadings of polyacrylamide (PAAm), were prepared by inverse dispersion polymerization. Ceric ammonium nitrate as an initiator in the presence of nitric acid was used...... of Kaol particles in the polyacrylic acid matrix, thereby leading to enhanced interactions and furthermore to improved mechanical properties of the final hydrogels....

  2. The self-crosslinking smart hyaluronic acid hydrogels as injectable three-dimensional scaffolds for cells culture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bian, Shaoquan; He, Mengmeng; Sui, Junhui; Cai, Hanxu; Sun, Yong; Liang, Jie; Fan, Yujiang; Zhang, Xingdong

    2016-04-01

    Although the disulfide bond crosslinked hyaluronic acid hydrogels have been reported by many research groups, the major researches were focused on effectively forming hydrogels. However, few researchers paid attention to the potential significance of controlling the hydrogel formation and degradation, improving biocompatibility, reducing the toxicity of exogenous and providing convenience to the clinical operations later on. In this research, the novel controllable self-crosslinking smart hydrogels with in-situ gelation property was prepared by a single component, the thiolated hyaluronic acid derivative (HA-SH), and applied as a three-dimensional scaffold to mimic native extracellular matrix (ECM) for the culture of fibroblasts cells (L929) and chondrocytes. A series of HA-SH hydrogels were prepared depending on different degrees of thiol substitution (ranging from 10 to 60%) and molecule weights of HA (0.1, 0.3 and 1.0 MDa). The gelation time, swelling property and smart degradation behavior of HA-SH hydrogel were evaluated. The results showed that the gelation and degradation time of hydrogels could be controlled by adjusting the component of HA-SH polymers. The storage modulus of HA-SH hydrogels obtained by dynamic modulus analysis (DMA) could be up to 44.6 kPa. In addition, HA-SH hydrogels were investigated as a three-dimensional scaffold for the culture of fibroblasts cells (L929) and chondrocytes cells in vitro and as an injectable hydrogel for delivering chondrocytes cells in vivo. These results illustrated that HA-SH hydrogels with controllable gelation process, intelligent degradation behavior, excellent biocompatibility and convenient operational characteristics supplied potential clinical application capacity for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  3. Influence of retinoic acid on mesenchymal stem cell differentiation in amyloid hydrogels

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Reeba Susan Jacob

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents data related to the research article “Self healing hydrogels composed of amyloid nano fibrils for cell culture and stem cell differentiation” [1]. Here we probed the collective influence of all-trans retinoic acid (RA and substrate properties (amyloid hydrogel on human mesenchymal stem cell (hMSC differentiation. Stem cells were cultured on soft amyloid hydrogels [1,2] in the presence and absence of matrix encapsulated RA. The cell morphology was imaged and assessed via quantification of circularity. Further immunostaining and quantitative real time PCR was used to quantify various markers of differentiation in the neuronal lineage.

  4. Preparation and properties of EDC/NHS mediated crosslinking poly (gamma-glutamic acid)/epsilon-polylysine hydrogels

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hua, Jiachuan [Key Laboratory of Advanced Textile Composites, Tianjin Polytechnic University, Ministry of Education, Tianjin 300387 (China); School of Textiles, Tianjin Polytechnic University, Tianjin 300387 (China); Li, Zheng, E-mail: lizheng_nx@163.com [Key Laboratory of Advanced Textile Composites, Tianjin Polytechnic University, Ministry of Education, Tianjin 300387 (China); School of Textiles, Tianjin Polytechnic University, Tianjin 300387 (China); Xia, Wen; Yang, Ning; Gong, Jixian [Key Laboratory of Advanced Textile Composites, Tianjin Polytechnic University, Ministry of Education, Tianjin 300387 (China); School of Textiles, Tianjin Polytechnic University, Tianjin 300387 (China); Zhang, Jianfei, E-mail: zhangjianfei1960@126.com [Key Laboratory of Advanced Textile Composites, Tianjin Polytechnic University, Ministry of Education, Tianjin 300387 (China); School of Textiles, Tianjin Polytechnic University, Tianjin 300387 (China); Qiao, Changsheng [Key Laboratory of Industrial Microbiology, Tianjin University of Science and Technology, Ministry of Education, Tianjin 300457 (China)

    2016-04-01

    In this paper, a novel pH-sensitive poly (amino acid) hydrogel based on poly γ-glutamic acid (γ-PGA) and ε-polylysine (ε-PL) was prepared by carbodiimide (EDC) and N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS) mediated polymerization. The influence of PGA/PL molar ratio and EDC/NHS concentration on the structure and properties was studied. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) proved that hydrogels were crosslinked through amide bond linkage, and the conversion rate of a carboxyl group could reach 96%. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) results showed a regularly porous structure with 20 μm pore size in average. The gelation time in the crosslink process of PGA/PL hydrogels was within less than 5 min. PGA/PL hydrogels had excellent optical performance that was evaluated by a novel optotype method. Furthermore, PGA/PL hydrogels were found to be pH-sensitive, which could be adjusted to the pH of swelling media intelligently. The terminal pH of swelling medium could be controlled at 5 ± 1 after equilibrium when the initial pH was within 3–11. The swelling kinetics was found to follow a Voigt model in deionized water but a pseudo-second-order model in normal saline and phosphate buffer solution, respectively. The differential swelling degrees were attributed to the swelling theory based on the different ratio of –COOH/–NH{sub 2} and pore size in hydrogels. The results of mechanical property indicated that PGA/PL hydrogels were soft and elastic. Moreover, PGA/PL hydrogels exhibited excellent biocompatibility by cell proliferation experiment. PGA/PL hydrogels could be degraded in PBS solution and the degradation rate was decreased with the increase of the molar ratio of PL. Considering the simple preparation process and pH-sensitive property, these PGA/PL hydrogels might have high potential for use in medical and clinical fields. - Highlights: • We prepared a biocompatible and degradable poly amino acids hydrogel via EDC

  5. Conversion of Lignocellulosic Bagasse Biomass into Hydrogel

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Farzaneh Amiri

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available In recent years, the main objective of developing new hydrogel systems has been to convert biomass into environmentally-friendly hydrogels. Hybrid hydrogels are usually prepared by graft copolymerization of acrylic monomers onto natural polymers or biomass. In this study, sugarcane bagasse was used to prepare semi-synthetic hybrid hydrogels without delignification, which is a costly and timeconsuming process. Sugarcane bagasse as a source of polysaccharide was modified using polymer microgels based on acrylic monomers such as acrylic acid, acrylamide and 2-acrylamido-2-methyl propane sulfonic acid which were prepared through inverse emulsion polymerization. By this process, biomass as a low-value by-product was converted into a valuable semi-synthetic hydrogel. In the following, the effect of latex type¸ the aqueous-to-organic phase ratio in the polymer latex, time and temperature of modification reaction on the swelling capacity of the hybrid hydrogel were evaluated. The chemical reaction between sugarcane bagasse and acrylic latex was carried out during heating of the modified bagasse which led to obtain a semisynthetic hydrogel with 60% natural components and 40% synthetic components. Among the latexes with different structures, poly(AA-NaAA-AM-AMPS was the most suitable polymer latex for the conversion of biomass into hydrogel. The bagasse modified with this latex had a water absorption capacity up to 112 g/g, while the water absorption capacity of primary sugarcane bagasse was only equal to 3.6 g/g. The prepared polymer hydrogels were characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR, dynamic-mechanical thermal analysis (DMTA, thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA, scanning electron microscopy (SEM and determination of the amount of swelling capacity.

  6. Flocculation and adsorption properties of biodegradable gum-ghatti-grafted poly(acrylamide-co-methacrylic acid) hydrogels

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Mittal, H

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available This study reports the microwave-assisted synthesis of gum-ghatti (Gg)-grafted poly(acrylamide-co-methacrylic acid) (AAm-co-MAA) hydrogels for the development of biodegradable flocculants and adsorbents. The synthesized hydrogels were characterized...

  7. Properties of radiation-synthesized polyvinylpyrrolidone/chitosan hydrogel blends

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Mahmud, Maznah [School of Chemical Sciences and Food Technology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 43600 Bangi, Selangor (Malaysia); Radiation Processing Technology Division, Malaysian Nuclear Agency, 43000 Kajang, Selangor (Malaysia); Daik, Rusli [School of Chemical Sciences and Food Technology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia 43600 Bangi, Selangor (Malaysia); Adam, Zainah [Radiation Processing Technology Division, Malaysian Nuclear Agency, 43000 Kajang, Selangor (Malaysia)

    2015-09-25

    Poly(vinylpyrrolidone) (PVP)-crosslinked chitosan hydrogels were prepared by gamma radiation at various doses; 1, 3 5, 7, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30kGy. Gamma radiation was used as a crosslinking tool which requires no chemical initiator, no heating process and need no purification step on the end products obtained. The hydrogel formulations were composed of 6% chitosan with average molecular weight (Mw) = 48 800 g/mol and 14% PVP with Mw = 10 000 g/mol in 2% lactic acid. Physical properties of hydrogels such as gel fraction and swelling property at pH 5.5 and pH 7.0 as well as syneresis activity were determined. It was found that different radiation dose induces different effect on hydrogels’ network formed. Morphological study of hydrogels has been carried out by scanning electron microscope (SEM). From these preliminary evaluations, it can be concluded that gamma radiation is an effective tool for network development of hydrogels and it also induces enhancement on characteristics of hydrogels synthesized.

  8. Antioxidant activity and controlled drug delivery potential of tragacanth gum-cl- poly (lactic acid-co-itaconic acid) hydrogel.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gupta, Vinod Kumar; Sood, Swadeep; Agarwal, Shilpi; Saini, Adesh K; Pathania, Deepak

    2018-02-01

    Tragacanth gum-cl-poly (lactic acid-co-itaconic acid) (TG-cl-p(LA-co-IA)) hydrogel is synthesized through graft copolymerization reaction using microwave assisted technique. The synthesized hydrogel was characterised using various analytical and characterization techniques such as FTIR, FESEM, XRD, TGA, TEM and SEM. It was observed that, the maximum percentage swelling (P s ) of the hydrogel was 311.61% after 6h at room temperature and 298.06% after 3h at 60°C and TG-cl-p(LA-co-IA) exhibited highest Amoxicillin loading (73%) in double distilled waterafter 24h. From the controlled release studies, it was evident that maximum drug release of about 96% took place at pH 2.2=after 6h. The synthesized hydrogel also showed mild antioxidant properties and 43.85% of free radical scavenging was occurred at a concentration of 640μg/mL and hence it can be effectively used to reduce the oxidative stresses. In addition to this, the antibacterial studies also showed that it is more effective against S. aureus. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  9. Synthesis and characterization of kappaphycus seaweed-poly (acrylic) acid superabsorbent hydrogel for agricultural use

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Encinas, Angelica Marie E.

    2015-04-01

    The main objective of this research is to synthesize and characterize kappaphycus seaweed-poly (acrylic) acid superabsorbent hydrogel for agricultural use. The superabsorbent polymers (SAPs), KCSW: PAA hydrogels were synthesized by using gamma radiation technique from Cobalt-60 source at absorbed dose 0f 5, 10 and 15 kGy. The effect of absorbed dose, seaweed concentration, and concentration of acrylic acid on the degree of swelling was studied and optimum swelling conditions were established. Irradiated samples of 3% KCSW, 50% neutralized AAC at an absorbed dose of 10kGy gave the highest degree of swelling and gel fraction and were found to be suitable for application in the agriculture. Samples with different concentrations of acrylic acid were characterized using FTIR and TGA. The water retention experiment in sandy soil showed high water retention capacity of KCSW: PAA hydrogel at a value of 92% for a period of 7 days. Effect of the germination of mung bean showed very promising result of 78% germination.(author)

  10. Controlled Pesticide Release from Porous Composite Hydrogels Based on Lignin and Polyacrylic Acid

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yajie Sun

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available For the controlled release of pesticides, a novel composite porous hydrogel (LBPAA was prepared based on lignin and polyacrylic acid for use as the support frame of a pore structure for water delivery. The LBPAA was analyzed to determine its water-swelling and slow release properties. The controlled release properties of LBPAA were evaluated through experiments in relation to the cumulative release of pesticides, with particular emphasis on environmental effects and release models. The porous LBPAA hydrogel showed improved properties compared to polyacrylic acid, and could therefore be considered an efficient material for application in controlled release systems in agriculture.

  11. Chemical crosslinking of acrylic acid to form biocompatible pH sensitive hydrogel reinforced with cellulose nanocrystals (CNC)

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lim, Lim Sze; Ahmad, Ishak; Lazim, Mohd Azwani Shah Mat; Amin, Mohd. Cairul Iqbal Mohd

    2014-01-01

    The purpose of this study is to produce a novel pH and temperature sensitive hydrogel, composed of poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) and cellulose nanocrystal (CNC). CNC was extracted from kenaf fiber through a series of alkali and bleaching treatments followed by acid hydrolysis. The PAA was then subjected to chemical cross-linking using the cross-linking agent (N,N-methylenebisacrylamide) with CNC entrapped in PAA matrix. The mixture was casted onto petri dish to obtain disc shape hydrogel. The effects of reaction conditions such as the ratio of PAA and CNC on the swelling behavior of the hydrogel obtained towards pH and temperature were studied. The obtained hydrogel was further subjected to different tests such swelling test for swelling behaviour at different pH and temperature along with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) for morphology analysis. The hydrogel obtained showed excellent pH sensitivity and obtained maximum swelling at pH 7. Besides that, hydrogel obtained showed significant increase in swelling ratio when temperature of swelling medium was increased from 25°C to 37°C. SEM micrograph showed that the pore size of the hydrogel decreases with increase of CNC content proving that the hydrogel structure became more rigid with addition of CNC. The PAA/CNC hydrogel with such excellent sensitivity towards pH and temperature can be developed further as drug carrier

  12. Chemical crosslinking of acrylic acid to form biocompatible pH sensitive hydrogel reinforced with cellulose nanocrystals (CNC)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lim, Lim Sze; Ahmad, Ishak; Lazim, Mohd Azwani Shah Mat [Faculty of Science and Technology, University Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 UKM, Bangi, Selangor (Malaysia); Amin, Mohd. Cairul Iqbal Mohd [Faculty of Pharmacy, University Kebangsaan Malaysia, Jalan Raja Muda Abdul Aziz, 50300 Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia)

    2014-09-03

    The purpose of this study is to produce a novel pH and temperature sensitive hydrogel, composed of poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) and cellulose nanocrystal (CNC). CNC was extracted from kenaf fiber through a series of alkali and bleaching treatments followed by acid hydrolysis. The PAA was then subjected to chemical cross-linking using the cross-linking agent (N,N-methylenebisacrylamide) with CNC entrapped in PAA matrix. The mixture was casted onto petri dish to obtain disc shape hydrogel. The effects of reaction conditions such as the ratio of PAA and CNC on the swelling behavior of the hydrogel obtained towards pH and temperature were studied. The obtained hydrogel was further subjected to different tests such swelling test for swelling behaviour at different pH and temperature along with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) for morphology analysis. The hydrogel obtained showed excellent pH sensitivity and obtained maximum swelling at pH 7. Besides that, hydrogel obtained showed significant increase in swelling ratio when temperature of swelling medium was increased from 25°C to 37°C. SEM micrograph showed that the pore size of the hydrogel decreases with increase of CNC content proving that the hydrogel structure became more rigid with addition of CNC. The PAA/CNC hydrogel with such excellent sensitivity towards pH and temperature can be developed further as drug carrier.

  13. Hydrogels from Amorphous Calcium Carbonate and Polyacrylic Acid: Bio-Inspired Materials for "Mineral Plastics".

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Shengtong; Mao, Li-Bo; Lei, Zhouyue; Yu, Shu-Hong; Cölfen, Helmut

    2016-09-19

    Given increasing environmental issues due to the large usage of non-biodegradable plastics based on petroleum, new plastic materials, which are economic, environmentally friendly, and recyclable are in high demand. One feasible strategy is the bio-inspired synthesis of mineral-based hybrid materials. Herein we report a facile route for an amorphous CaCO3 (ACC)-based hydrogel consisting of very small ACC nanoparticles physically cross-linked by poly(acrylic acid). The hydrogel is shapeable, stretchable, and self-healable. Upon drying, the hydrogel forms free-standing, rigid, and transparent objects with remarkable mechanical performance. By swelling in water, the material can completely recover the initial hydrogel state. As a matrix, thermochromism can also be easily introduced. The present hybrid hydrogel may represent a new class of plastic materials, the "mineral plastics". © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  14. Synthesis and characterization of chitosan-graft-poly(acrylic acid)/rice husk ash hydrogels composites

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rodrigues, Francisco H.A.; Lopes, Gabriel V.; Pereira, Antonio G.B.; Fajardo, Andre R.; Muniz, Edvani C.

    2011-01-01

    According to environmental concerns, super absorbent hydrogel composites were synthesized based on rice husk ash (RHA), an industrial waste, and Chitosan-graft-poly(acrylic acid). The WAXS and FTIR data confirmed the syntheses of hydrogel composites. The effect of crystalline or amorphous RHA on water uptake was investigated. It was found that the RHA in crystalline form induces higher water capacity (W eq ) of composites hydrogels due to the fact that the intra-interactions among silanol groups on RHA make available new sites in the polymer matrix, which could interact to water. (author)

  15. Surface-functionalized polymethacrylic acid based hydrogel microparticles for oral drug delivery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sajeesh, S; Bouchemal, K; Sharma, C P; Vauthier, C

    2010-02-01

    Aim of the present work was to develop novel thiol-functionalized hydrogel microparticles based on poly(methacrylic acid)-chitosan-poly(ethylene glycol) (PCP) for oral drug delivery applications. PCP microparticles were prepared by a modified ionic gelation process in aqueous medium. Thiol modification of surface carboxylic acid groups of PCP micro particles was carried out by coupling l-cysteine with a water-soluble carbodiimide. Ellman's method was adopted to quantify the sulfhydryl groups, and dynamic light-scattering technique was used to measure the average particle size. Cytotoxicity of the modified particles was evaluated on Caco 2 cells by MTT assay. Effect of thiol modification on permeability of paracellular marker fluorescence dextran (FD4) was evaluated on Caco 2 cell monolayers and freshly excised rat intestinal tissue with an Ussing chamber set-up. Mucoadhesion experiments were carried out by an ex vivo bioadhesion method with excised rat intestinal tissue. The average size of the PCP microparticles was increased after thiol modification. Thiolated microparticles significantly improved the paracellular permeability of FD4 across Caco 2 cell monolayers, with no sign of toxicity. However, the efficacy of thiolated system remained low when permeation experiments were carried out across excised intestinal membrane. This was attributed to the high adhesion of the thiolated particles on the gut mucosa. Nevertheless, it can be concluded that surface thiolation is an interesting strategy to improve paracellular permeability of hydrophilic macromolecules. Copyright (c) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  16. Sorption of zinc by novel pH-sensitive hydrogels based on chitosan, itaconic acid and methacrylic acid

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Milosavljevic, Nedeljko B.; Ristic, Mirjana D.; Peric-Grujic, Aleksandra A.; Filipovic, Jovanka M.; Strbac, Svetlana B.; Rakocevic, Zlatko Lj.; Kalagasidis Krusic, Melina T.

    2011-01-01

    Highlights: → A removal of Zn 2+ ions by pH-sensitive Ch/IA/MAA hydrogel from aqueous solutions was studied. → SEM/EDX analysis and AFM surface topography indicate that sorption takes place on the surface of the hydrogel and in the bulk. → FTIR spectra of the Ch/IA/MAA hydrogel, free and Zn-loaded, indicate that -NH 2 , -OH and -COOH groups are involved in the sorption process. → The negative values of free energy and enthalpy indicated that the adsorption is spontaneous and exothermic one. → The adsorption capacities did not show any significant decrease after the third reuse cycle. - Abstract: Novel pH-sensitive hydrogels based on chitosan, itaconic acid and methacrylic acid were applied as adsorbents for the removal of Zn 2+ ions from aqueous solution. In batch tests, the influence of solution pH, contact time, initial metal ion concentration and temperature was examined. The sorption was found pH dependent, pH 5.5 being the optimum value. The adsorption process was well described by the pseudo-second order kinetic. The hydrogels were characterized by spectral (Fourier transform infrared-FTIR) and structural (SEM/EDX and atomic force microscopy-AFM) analyses. The surface topography changes were observed by atomic force microscopy, while the changes in surface composition were detected using phase imaging AFM. The negative values of free energy and enthalpy indicated that the adsorption is spontaneous and exothermic one. The best fitting isotherms were Langmuir and Redlich-Peterson and it was found that both linear and nonlinear methods were appropriate for obtaining the isotherm parameters. However, the increase of temperature leads to higher adsorption capacity, since swelling degree increased with temperature.

  17. Poly(vinyl alcohol)/poly(acrylic acid)/TiO2/graphene oxide nanocomposite hydrogels for pH-sensitive photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Moon, Young-E; Jung, Gowun; Yun, Jumi; Kim, Hyung-Il

    2013-01-01

    Graphical abstract: The photocatalytic removal of pollutants was improved by the two-step mechanism based on the adsorption of pollutants by hydrogel and the effective decomposition by combination of TiO 2 and graphene oxide. -- Highlights: • pH sensitive PVA/PAAc hydrogels were prepared by radical polymerization and condensation reaction. • PVA/PAAc/TiO 2 /graphene oxide nanocomposite hydrogels were used for treatment of basic waste water. • Photocatalytic acitivity of TiO 2 was improved by incorporation of graphene oxide. • Photocatalytic decomposition by nanocomposite hydrogel was improved by increasing pH. -- Abstract: Poly(vinyl alcohol)/poly(acrylic acid)/TiO 2 /graphene oxide nanocomposite hydrogels were prepared using radical polymerization and condensation reaction for the photocatalytic treatment of waste water. Graphene oxide was used as an additive to improve the photocatalytic activity of poly(vinyl alcohol)/poly(acrylic acid)/TiO 2 nanocomposite hydrogels. Both TiO 2 and graphene oxide were immobilized in poly(vinyl alcohol)/poly(acrylic acid) hydrogel matrix for an easier recovery after the waste water treatment. The photocatalytic activity of poly(vinyl alcohol)/poly(acrylic acid)/TiO 2 /graphene oxide nanocomposite hydrogels was evaluated on the base of the degradation of pollutants by using UV spectrometer. The improved removal of pollutants was due to the two-step mechanism based on the adsorption of pollutants by nanocomposite hydrogel and the effective decomposition of pollutants by TiO 2 and graphene oxide. The highest swelling of nanocomposite hydrogel was observed at pH 10 indicating that poly(vinyl alcohol)/poly(acrylic acid)/TiO 2 /graphene oxide nanocomposite hydrogels were suitable as a promising system for the treatment of basic waste water

  18. Synthesis and characterization of zinc chloride containing poly(acrylic acid) hydrogel by gamma irradiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Park, Jong-Seok; Kuang, Jia; Gwon, Hui-Jeong; Lim, Youn-Mook; Jeong, Sung-In; Shin, Young-Min; Seob Khil, Myung; Nho, Young-Chang

    2013-01-01

    In this study, the characterization of zinc chloride incorporated into a poly(acrylic acid) (PAAc) hydrogel prepared by gamma-ray irradiation was investigated. Zinc chloride powder with different concentrations was dissolved in the PAAc solution, and it was crosslinked with gamma-ray irradiation. The effects of various parameters such as zinc ion concentration and irradiation doses on characteristics of the hydrogel formed were investigated in detail for obtaining an antibacterial wound dressing. In addition, the gel content, pH-sensitive (pH 4 or 7) swelling ratio, and UV–vis absorption spectra of the zinc particles in the hydrogels were characterized. Moreover, antibacterial properties of these new materials against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli strains were observed on solid growth media. The antibacterial tests indicated that the zinc chloride containing PAAc hydrogels have good antibacterial activity. - Highlights: • The characterization of zinc chloride containing PAA hydrogel was investigated. • The gel content increased with an increase in absorbed dose up to 75 kGy. • Finally, the zinc chloride based hydrogels have an antibacterial activity

  19. Hyaluronic acid based hydrogel system for soft tissue regeneration and drug delivery

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jha, Amit Kumar

    We have developed hyaluronic acid (HA)-based, biomimetic hydrogel matrices that are hierarchically structured, mechanically robust and biologically active. Specifically, HA-based hydrogel particles (HGPs) with controlled sizes, defined porosity, and improved stability were synthesized using different inverse emulsion systems and crosslinking chemistries. The resultant particles either contained residual functional groups or were rendered reactive by subsequent chemical modifications. HA-based doubly crosslinked networks (DXNs) were synthesized via covalent crosslinking of HA HGPs with soluble HA macromers carrying mutually reactive functional groups. These hybrid matrices are hierarchical in nature, consisting of densely crosslinked HGPs integrated in a loosely connected secondary matrix. Their mechanical properties and degradation kinetics can be readily tuned by varying the particle size, functional group density, intra- and interparticle crosslinking. To improve the biological functions of HA HGPs, perlecan domain I (PlnDI), a basement membrane proteoglycan that has strong affinity for various heparin binding growth factors (HBGFs), was successfully conjugated to the particles through the core protein via a flexible poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) linker. The immobilized PlnDI maintains its ability to bind bone morphogenetic proteins (BMP-2) and modulates its in vitro release. A similar, sustained release of BMP-2 was achieved by encapsulating BMP-2-loaded HGPs within a photocrosslinked HA matrix. When encapsulated in HA DXNs, primary bovine chondrocytes were able to maintain their phenotype, proliferate readily and produce abundant glycosaminoglycan. Finally, cell-adhesive HA DXNs were fabricated by encapsulating gelatin-decorated HA HGPs in a secondary HA matrix. Human MSCs were shown to adhere to the composite matrix through the focal adhesion sites clustered on particle surface. The cell-adhesive composite matrices supported hMSC proliferation and migration into

  20. A study on the swelling behavior of poly(acrylic acid) hydrogels obtained by electron beam crosslinking

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sheikh, N.; Jalili, L.; Anvari, F.

    2010-06-01

    Poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) hydrogels were prepared by using electron beam (EB) crosslinking of PAA homopolymer from its aqueous solutions. The swelling behavior of the hydrogels was studied as a function of the concentration of PAA solution, radiation dose, pH of the swelling medium and swelling time. Also the environmental pH effect on the water diffusion mode into hydrogels was investigated. These hydrogels clearly showed pH-sensitive swelling behavior with Fickian type of diffusion in the stomach-like pH medium (pH 1.3) and non-Fickian type in the intestine-like pH medium (pH 6.8).

  1. A study on the swelling behavior of poly(acrylic acid) hydrogels obtained by electron beam crosslinking

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sheikh, N.; Jalili, L.; Anvari, F.

    2010-01-01

    Poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) hydrogels were prepared by using electron beam (EB) crosslinking of PAA homopolymer from its aqueous solutions. The swelling behavior of the hydrogels was studied as a function of the concentration of PAA solution, radiation dose, pH of the swelling medium and swelling time. Also the environmental pH effect on the water diffusion mode into hydrogels was investigated. These hydrogels clearly showed pH-sensitive swelling behavior with Fickian type of diffusion in the stomach-like pH medium (pH 1.3) and non-Fickian type in the intestine-like pH medium (pH 6.8).

  2. Mechanical properties of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-Co-itaconic acid) hydrogels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Valderruten, N. E.; Quintana, J. R.; Katime, I.

    2001-01-01

    It is well known that polymers of N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPA) show lower critical solution temperature (LCST) behavior in water and its gels have a volume phase transition at about 34 degree centigree in water. In this study, we reported the polymerization of NIPA in the presence of N,N methylenebisacrylamide (BIS). Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) and poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-itaconic acid) hydrogels were obtained by swelling the resultant solid xerogels to equilibrium in water. The effects of monomer composition and concentration of added cross-linking agent on the swelling behavior and mechanical properties of these hydrogels at 22 and 37 degree centigree were investigated, the latter involving measurements of shear in a DMTA system. The storage moduli at 22 degree centigree lay within the range 9.08-5.08 KPa. At a fixed BIS concentration, an increase from 22 to 37 degree centigree resulted in an increase in the shear moduli and the effective crosslinking density (v e ) and a decrease in the interaction parameter hydrogel/water, χ. (Author) 6 refs

  3. Fabrication and mechanical characterization of graphene oxide-reinforced poly (acrylic acid)/gelatin composite hydrogels

    Science.gov (United States)

    Faghihi, Shahab; Gheysour, Mahsa; Karimi, Alireza; Salarian, Reza

    2014-02-01

    Hydrogels have found many practical uses in drug release, wound dressing, and tissue engineering. However, their applications are restricted due to their weak mechanical properties. The role of graphene oxide nanosheets (GONS) as reinforcement agent in poly (acrylic acid) (PAA)/Gelatin (Gel) composite hydrogels is investigated. Composite hydrogels are synthesized by thermal initiated redox polymerization method. Samples are then prepared with 20 and 40 wt. % of PAA, an increasing amount of GONS (0.1, 0.2, and 0.3 wt. %), and a constant amount of Gel. Subsequently, cylindrical hydrogel samples are subjected to a series of compression tests in order to measure their elastic modulus, maximum stress and strain. The results exhibit that the addition of GONS increases the Young's modulus and maximum stress of hydrogels significantly as compared with control (0.0 wt. % GONS). The highest Young's modulus is observed for hydrogel with GO (0.2 wt. %)/PAA (20 wt. %), whereas the highest maximum stress is detected for GO (0.2 wt. %)/PAA (40 wt. %) specimen. The addition of higher amounts of GONS leads to a decrease in the maximum stress of the hydrogel GO (0.3 wt. %)/PAA (40 wt. %). No significant differences are detected for the maximum strain among the hydrogel samples, as the amount of GONS increased. These results suggest that the application of GONS could be used to improve mechanical properties of hydrogel materials. This study may provide an alternative for the fabrication of low-cost graphene/polymer composites with enhanced mechanical properties beneficial for tissue engineering applications.

  4. Synthesis and application of intelligent hydrogels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kaetsu, I.; Uchida, K.; Sutani, K.; Nakayama, H.; Tamori, A.

    2000-01-01

    The authors have studied synthesis and application of stimule-sensitive and responsive hydrogels. In this report, two kinds of investigations were carried out on the intelligent hydrogels and the applications with radiation techniques. 1. Synthesis of temperature responsive sol-gel transition polymer and the application to drug delivery systems. Polysopropyl acrylamide is a typical temperature responsive polymers and the copolymers show broad variation of LCST (sol-gel transition temperature). The various copolymers of isopropyl acrylamide were synthesized by UV or radiation. 2. Surface curing of pH and electric field responsive hydrogel and the application to drug delivery systems. Electrolyte monomers such as acrylic acid was coated on the surface of polymer membrane (porous or non-porous) including drugs, and cured by UV or radiation various enzymes were immobilized in the coating layer in many cases. The product showed pH, electro-field and substrate responsive releases of model drug under on-off switching of environmental conditions. (J.P.N.)

  5. Synthesis and application of intelligent hydrogels

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kaetsu, I.; Uchida, K.; Sutani, K.; Nakayama, H.; Tamori, A. [Kinki Univ., Higashi-Osaka, Osaka (Japan). Faculty of Science and Technology

    2000-03-01

    The authors have studied synthesis and application of stimule-sensitive and responsive hydrogels. In this report, two kinds of investigations were carried out on the intelligent hydrogels and the applications with radiation techniques. 1. Synthesis of temperature responsive sol-gel transition polymer and the application to drug delivery systems. Polysopropyl acrylamide is a typical temperature responsive polymers and the copolymers show broad variation of LCST (sol-gel transition temperature). The various copolymers of isopropyl acrylamide were synthesized by UV or radiation. 2. Surface curing of pH and electric field responsive hydrogel and the application to drug delivery systems. Electrolyte monomers such as acrylic acid was coated on the surface of polymer membrane (porous or non-porous) including drugs, and cured by UV or radiation various enzymes were immobilized in the coating layer in many cases. The product showed pH, electro-field and substrate responsive releases of model drug under on-off switching of environmental conditions. (J.P.N.)

  6. Properties and in vitro drug release of hyaluronic acid-hydroxyethyl cellulose hydrogels for transdermal delivery of isoliquiritigenin.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kong, Bong Ju; Kim, Ayoung; Park, Soo Nam

    2016-08-20

    In the present study, the properties of hydrogel systems based on hyaluronic acid (HA)-hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC) were investigated for effective transdermal delivery of isoliquiritigenin (ILTG). Hydrogels were synthesized by chemical cross-linking, and network structures were characterised using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and surface area analyser. Texture properties and swelling of HA-HEC hydrogels were found to be closely linked to cross-linker concentration and swelling medium. Water in HA-HEC hydrogels was found to exist mostly in the form of free water. The viscoelasticity and the network stabilization of the hydrogels were analysed via rheological studies. The release kinetics of the hydrogel followed Fickian diffusion mechanism. In an in vitro skin penetration study, the system substantially improved the delivery of ILTG into the skin. These results indicate that the hydrogel system composed of HA and HEC has potential as a transdermal delivery system, with cross-linking density and the swelling medium influencing the properties. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Degradation Behaviour of Gamma Irradiated Poly(Acrylic Acid)-graft-Chitosan Superabsorbent Hydrogel

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ria Barleany, Dhena; Ilhami, Alpin; Yusuf Yudanto, Dea; Erizal

    2018-03-01

    A series of superabsorbent hydrogels were prepared from chitosan and partially neutralized acrylic acid at room temperature by gamma irradiation technique. The effect of irradiation and chitosan addition to the degradation behaviour of polymer were investigated. The gel content, swelling capacity, Equillibrium Degree of Swelling (EDS), Fourier Transform Infra Red (FTIR), and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) study were also performed. Natural degradation in soil and thermal degradation by using of TGA analysis were observed. The variation of chitosan compositions were 0.5, 1, 1.5, and 2 g and the total irradiation doses were 5, 10, 15, and 20 kGy. The highest water capacity of 583.3 g water/g dry hydrogel was resulted from 5 kGy total irradiation dose and 0,5 g addition of chitosan. From the thermal degradation evaluation by using of TGA analysis showed that irradiation dose did not give a significant influence to the degradation rate. The rate of thermal degradation was ranged between 2.42 to 2.55 mg/min. In the natural test of degradation behaviour by using of soil medium, the hydrogel product with chitosan addition was found to have better degradability compared with the poly(acrylic acid) polymer without chitosan.

  8. Biodegradable hyaluronic acid hydrogels to control release of dexamethasone through aqueous Diels-Alder chemistry for adipose tissue engineering.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fan, Ming; Ma, Ye; Zhang, Ziwei; Mao, Jiahui; Tan, Huaping; Hu, Xiaohong

    2015-11-01

    A robust synthetic strategy of biopolymer-based hydrogels has been developed where hyaluronic acid derivatives reacted through aqueous Diels-Alder chemistry without the involvement of chemical catalysts, allowing for control and sustain release of dexamethasone. To conjugate the hydrogel, furan and maleimide functionalized hyaluronic acid were synthesized, respectively, as well as furan functionalized dexamethasone, for the covalent immobilization. Chemical structure, gelation time, morphologies, swelling kinetics, weight loss, compressive modulus and dexamethasone release of the hydrogel system in PBS at 37°C were studied. The results demonstrated that the aqueous Diels-Alder chemistry provides an extremely selective reaction and proceeds with high efficiency for hydrogel conjugation and covalent immobilization of dexamethasone. Cell culture results showed that the dexamethasone immobilized hydrogel was noncytotoxic and preserved proliferation of entrapped human adipose-derived stem cells. This synthetic approach uniquely allows for the direct fabrication of biologically functionalized gel scaffolds with ideal structures for adipose tissue engineering, which provides a competitive alternative to conventional conjugation techniques such as copper mediated click chemistry. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  9. Co-delivery of evodiamine and rutaecarpine in a microemulsion-based hyaluronic acid hydrogel for enhanced analgesic effects on mouse pain models.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Yong-Tai; Li, Zhe; Zhang, Kai; Zhang, Hong-Yu; He, Ze-Hui; Xia, Qing; Zhao, Ji-Hui; Feng, Nian-Ping

    2017-08-07

    The aim of this study was to improve the analgesic effect of evodiamine and rutaecarpine, using a microemulsion-based hydrogel (ME-Gel) as the transdermal co-delivery vehicle, and to assess hyaluronic acid as a hydrogel matrix for microemulsion entrapment. A microemulsion was formulated with ethyl oleate as the oil core to improve the solubility of the alkaloids and was loaded into a hyaluronic acid-structured hydrogel. Permeation-enhancing effects of the microemulsion enabled evodiamine and rutaecarpine in ME-Gel to achieve 2.60- and 2.59-fold higher transdermal fluxes compared with hydrogel control (pmicroemulsion exhibited good skin biocompatibility, whereas effective ME-Gel co-delivery of evodiamine and rutaecarpine through the skin enhanced the analgesic effect in mouse pain models compared with hydrogel. Notably, evodiamine and rutaecarpine administered using ME-Gel effectively down-regulated serum levels of prostaglandin E 2 , interleukin 6, and tumor necrosis factor α in formaldehyde-induced mouse pain models, possibly reflecting the improved transdermal permeability of ME-Gel co-delivered evodiamine and rutaecarpine, particularly with hyaluronic acid as the hydrogel matrix. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  10. Peritoneal adhesion prevention with a biodegradable and injectable N,O-carboxymethyl chitosan-aldehyde hyaluronic acid hydrogel in a rat repeated-injury model

    Science.gov (United States)

    Song, Linjiang; Li, Ling; He, Tao; Wang, Ning; Yang, Suleixin; Yang, Xi; Zeng, Yan; Zhang, Wenli; Yang, Li; Wu, Qinjie; Gong, Changyang

    2016-11-01

    Postoperative peritoneal adhesion is one of the serious issues because it induces severe clinical disorders. In this study, we prepared biodegradable and injectable hydrogel composed of N,O-carboxymethyl chitosan (NOCC) and aldehyde hyaluronic acid (AHA), and assessed its anti-adhesion effect in a rigorous and severe recurrent adhesion model which is closer to clinical conditions. The flexible hydrogel, which gelated in 66 seconds at 37 °C, was cross-linked by the schiff base derived from the amino groups of NOCC and aldehyde groups in AHA. In vitro cytotoxicity test showed the hydrogel was non-toxic. In vitro and in vivo degradation examinations demonstrated the biodegradable and biocompatibility properties of the hydrogel. The hydrogel discs could prevent the invasion of fibroblasts, whereas fibroblasts encapsulated in the porous 3-dimensional hydrogels could grow and proliferate well. Furthermore, the hydrogel was applied to evaluate the anti-adhesion efficacy in a more rigorous recurrent adhesion model. Compared with normal saline group and commercial hyaluronic acid (HA) hydrogel, the NOCC-AHA hydrogel exhibited significant reduction of peritoneal adhesion. Compared to control group, the blood and abdominal lavage level of tPA was increased in NOCC-AHA hydrogel group. These findings suggested that NOCC-AHA hydrogel had a great potential to serve as an anti-adhesion candidate.

  11. Synthesis and characterization of poly(acrylic acid)-g-sodium alginate hydrogel initiated by gamma irradiation for controlled release of chlortetracycline HCl

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mohamed, S.F.; Mahmoud, G.A.; Taleb, M.F.A.

    2013-01-01

    pH-Sensitive hydrogel was synthesized by gamma radiation crosslinking for sodium alginate extracted from the marine brown alga Turbinaria decurrens and acrylic acid. Preparation of the hydrogels involved free radical polymerization of a combination of acrylic acid (w = 0.2) and different contents of sodium alginate (w = 0.05, 0.10, and 0.15) in aqueous solution using gamma rays of a 60 Co source at an irradiation dose rate of 1.2 kGy/h. The swelling behavior of the prepared hydrogel was determined by investigating the swelling time, pH of medium, and alginate content in the hydrogel. The results showed that the hydrogel reached the equilibrium swelling state in water after 6 h. The hydrogel was found to be pH responsive. The drug loading and in vitro release properties of the hydrogel were also evaluated using chlortetracycline hydrochloride as the model drug. The adsorption isotherm studies by batching techniques under the effect of different initial feed concentrations of drug, different pH values, and different sodium alginate content of the adsorbent hydrogel were investigated. The diffusion of chlortetracycline hydrochloride within the hydrogel was found to be of non-Fickian character. The kinetic parameters such as the diffusion exponent, diffusion constant, and diffusion coefficient were also evaluated. (author)

  12. Biocompatible and bioadhesive hydrogels based on 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate, monofunctional poly(alkylene glycols and itaconic acid

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mićić Maja M.

    2007-01-01

    Full Text Available New types of hydrogels were prepared by the radical copolymerization of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate, itaconic acid and four different poly(alkylene glycol (methacrylate components (Bisomers in a water/ethanol mixture as solvent. The polymers swell in water at 25°C to yield homogeneous transparent hydrogels. All the hydrogels displayed pH sensitive behavior in buffers of the pH range from 2.20 to 7.40, under conditions similar to those of biological fluids. The presence of these two comonomers, which were added to HEMA, increased the swelling degree of the hydrogels and gave gels with better elasticity. The hydrogels were thermally stable in the vicinity of the physiological temperature (37°C. The copolymer containing pure poly(ethylene glycol acrylate units generally had the best properties. The tests performed on the hydrogels confirmed that they were neither hemolytic nor cytotoxic. The copolymer samples showed better cell viability and less hemolytic activity than the PHEMA sample, confirming the assumption that poly(alkylene glycols improve the biocompatibility of hydrogels. Due to their swelling and mechanical characteristics, as well as the very good biocompatibility and bioadhesive properties, poly(Bisomer/HEMA/IA hydrogels are promising for utilization in the field of biomedicals, especially for the controlled release of drugs.

  13. Thiol functionalized polymethacrylic acid-based hydrogel microparticles for oral insulin delivery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sajeesh, S; Vauthier, C; Gueutin, C; Ponchel, G; Sharma, Chandra P

    2010-08-01

    In the present study thiol functionalized polymethacrylic acid-polyethylene glycol-chitosan (PCP)-based hydrogel microparticles were utilized to develop an oral insulin delivery system. Thiol modification was achieved by grafting cysteine to the activated surface carboxyl groups of PCP hydrogels (Cys-PCP). Swelling and insulin loading/release experiments were conducted on these particles. The ability of these particles to inhibit protease enzymes was evaluated under in vitro experimental conditions. Insulin transport experiments were performed on Caco-2 cell monolayers and excised intestinal tissue with an Ussing chamber set-up. Finally, the efficacy of insulin-loaded particles in reducing the blood glucose level in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats was investigated. Thiolated hydrogel microparticles showed less swelling and had a lower insulin encapsulation efficiency as compared with unmodified PCP particles. PCP and Cys-PCP microparticles were able to inhibit protease enzymes under in vitro conditions. Thiolation was an effective strategy to improve insulin absorption across Caco-2 cell monolayers, however, the effect was reduced in the experiments using excised rat intestinal tissue. Nevertheless, functionalized microparticles were more effective in eliciting a pharmacological response in diabetic animal, as compared with unmodified PCP microparticles. From these studies thiolation of hydrogel microparticles seems to be a promising approach to improve oral delivery of proteins/peptides. Copyright 2010 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. Poly(vinyl alcohol)-Tannic Acid Hydrogels with Excellent Mechanical Properties and Shape Memory Behaviors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Ya-Nan; Peng, Lufang; Liu, Tianqi; Wang, Yaxin; Shi, Shengjie; Wang, Huiliang

    2016-10-12

    Shape memory hydrogels have promising applications in a wide variety of fields. Here we report the facile fabrication of a novel type of shape memory hydrogels physically cross-linked with both stronger and weaker hydrogen bonding (H-bonding). Strong multiple H-bonding formed between poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and tannic acid (TA) leads to their coagulation when they are physically mixed at an elevated temperature and easy gelation at room temperature. The amorphous structure and strong H-bonding endow the PVA-TA hydrogels with excellent mechanical properties, as indicated by their high tensile strengths (up to 2.88 MPa) and high elongations (up to 1100%). The stronger H-bonding between PVA and TA functions as the "permanent" cross-link and the weaker H-bonding between PVA chains as the "temporary" cross-link. The reversible breakage and formation of the weaker H-bonding imparts the PVA-TA hydrogels with excellent temperature-responsive shape memory. Wet and dried hydrogel samples with a deformed or elongated shape can recover to their original shapes when immersed in 60 °C water in a few seconds or at 125 °C in about 2.5 min, respectively.

  15. Swelling and drug release behavior of poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate/itaconic acid) copolymeric hydrogels obtained by gamma irradiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tomic, S.Lj.; Micic, M.M.; Filipovic, J.M.; Suljovrujic, E.H.

    2007-01-01

    The new copolymeric hydrogels based on 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) and itaconic acid (IA) were prepared by gamma irradiation, in order to examine the potential use of these hydrogels in controlled drug release systems. The influence of IA content in the gel on the swelling characteristics and the releasing behavior of hydrogels, and the effect of different drugs, theophylline (TPH) and fenethylline hydrochloride (FE), on the releasing behavior of P(HEMA/IA) matrix were investigated in vitro. The diffusion exponents for swelling and drug release indicate that the mechanisms of buffer uptake and drug release are governed by Fickian diffusion. The swelling kinetics and, therefore, the release rate depends on the matrix swelling degree. The drug release was faster for copolymeric hydrogels with a higher content of itaconic acid. Furthermore, the drug release for TPH as model drug was faster due to a smaller molecular size and a weaker interaction of the TPH molecules with(in) the P(HEMA/IA) copolymeric networks

  16. Elastin-like protein-hyaluronic acid (ELP-HA) hydrogels with decoupled mechanical and biochemical cues for cartilage regeneration.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Danqing; Wang, Huiyuan; Trinh, Pavin; Heilshorn, Sarah C; Yang, Fan

    2017-05-01

    Hyaluronic acid (HA) is a major component of cartilage extracellular matrix and is an attractive material for use as 3D injectable matrices for cartilage regeneration. While previous studies have shown the promise of HA-based hydrogels to support cell-based cartilage formation, varying HA concentration generally led to simultaneous changes in both biochemical cues and stiffness. How cells respond to the change of biochemical content of HA remains largely unknown. Here we report an adaptable elastin-like protein-hyaluronic acid (ELP-HA) hydrogel platform using dynamic covalent chemistry, which allows variation of HA concentration without affecting matrix stiffness. ELP-HA hydrogels were created through dynamic hydrazone bonds via the reaction between hydrazine-modified ELP (ELP-HYD) and aldehyde-modified HA (HA-ALD). By tuning the stoichiometric ratio of aldehyde groups to hydrazine groups while maintaining ELP-HYD concentration constant, hydrogels with variable HA concentration (1.5%, 3%, or 5%) (w/v) were fabricated with comparable stiffness. To evaluate the effects of HA concentration on cell-based cartilage regeneration, chondrocytes were encapsulated within ELP-HA hydrogels with varying HA concentration. Increasing HA concentration led to a dose-dependent increase in cartilage-marker gene expression and enhanced sGAG deposition while minimizing undesirable fibrocartilage phenotype. The use of adaptable protein hydrogels formed via dynamic covalent chemistry may be broadly applicable as 3D scaffolds with decoupled niche properties to guide other desirable cell fates and tissue repair. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. Direct laser writing of synthetic poly(amino acid) hydrogels and poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylates by two-photon polymerization

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Käpylä, Elli, E-mail: elli.kapyla@tut.fi [Department of Electronics and Communications Engineering, Tampere University of Technology, P.O. Box 692, 33101 Tampere (Finland); BioMediTech, Biokatu 10, 33520 Tampere (Finland); Sedlačík, Tomáš [Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Heyrovského nám. 2, 162 06 Praha 6, Břevnov, Prague (Czech Republic); Aydogan, Dogu Baran [Department of Electronics and Communications Engineering, Tampere University of Technology, P.O. Box 692, 33101 Tampere (Finland); BioMediTech, Biokatu 10, 33520 Tampere (Finland); Viitanen, Jouko [VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, P.O. Box 1300, 33101 Tampere (Finland); Rypáček, František [Institute of Macromolecular Chemistry of the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Heyrovského nám. 2, 162 06 Praha 6, Břevnov, Prague (Czech Republic); Kellomäki, Minna [Department of Electronics and Communications Engineering, Tampere University of Technology, P.O. Box 692, 33101 Tampere (Finland); BioMediTech, Biokatu 10, 33520 Tampere (Finland)

    2014-10-01

    The additive manufacturing technique of direct laser writing by two-photon polymerization (2PP-DLW) enables the fabrication of three-dimensional microstructures with superior accuracy and flexibility. When combined with biomimetic hydrogel materials, 2PP-DLW can be used to recreate the microarchitectures of the extracellular matrix. However, there are currently only a limited number of hydrogels applicable for 2PP-DLW. In order to widen the selection of synthetic biodegradable hydrogels, in this work we studied the 2PP-DLW of methacryloylated and acryloylated poly(α-amino acid)s (poly(AA)s). The performance of these materials was compared to widely used poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylates (PEGdas) in terms of polymerization and damage thresholds, voxel size, line width, post-polymerization swelling and deformation. We found that both methacryloylated and acryloylated poly(AA) hydrogels are suitable to 2PP-DLW with a wider processing window than PEGdas. The poly(AA) with the highest degree of acryloylation showed the greatest potential for 3D microfabrication. - Highlights: • Methacryloylated and acryloylated poly(α-amino acid)s (poly(AA)s) were synthesized. • Direct laser writing by two-photon polymerization (2PP-DLW) of poly(AA)s is shown. • Poly(AA)s have wider processing windows than poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylates. • 3D poly(AA) structures with 80% water content were fabricated.

  18. Direct laser writing of synthetic poly(amino acid) hydrogels and poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylates by two-photon polymerization

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Käpylä, Elli; Sedlačík, Tomáš; Aydogan, Dogu Baran; Viitanen, Jouko; Rypáček, František; Kellomäki, Minna

    2014-01-01

    The additive manufacturing technique of direct laser writing by two-photon polymerization (2PP-DLW) enables the fabrication of three-dimensional microstructures with superior accuracy and flexibility. When combined with biomimetic hydrogel materials, 2PP-DLW can be used to recreate the microarchitectures of the extracellular matrix. However, there are currently only a limited number of hydrogels applicable for 2PP-DLW. In order to widen the selection of synthetic biodegradable hydrogels, in this work we studied the 2PP-DLW of methacryloylated and acryloylated poly(α-amino acid)s (poly(AA)s). The performance of these materials was compared to widely used poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylates (PEGdas) in terms of polymerization and damage thresholds, voxel size, line width, post-polymerization swelling and deformation. We found that both methacryloylated and acryloylated poly(AA) hydrogels are suitable to 2PP-DLW with a wider processing window than PEGdas. The poly(AA) with the highest degree of acryloylation showed the greatest potential for 3D microfabrication. - Highlights: • Methacryloylated and acryloylated poly(α-amino acid)s (poly(AA)s) were synthesized. • Direct laser writing by two-photon polymerization (2PP-DLW) of poly(AA)s is shown. • Poly(AA)s have wider processing windows than poly(ethylene glycol) diacrylates. • 3D poly(AA) structures with 80% water content were fabricated

  19. Radiation Synthesis and Characterization of Polyvinyl alcohol/Acrylic acid Hydrogel and its Amoxicillin drug Delivery application

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    El kelesh, N.A.; Ismail, S.A.; Abd El Wahab, S.Y.

    2012-01-01

    Polyvinyl alcohol /Acrylic acid based hydrogels can be synthesized by Gamma radiation technique using 60 Co irradiation cell at irradiation dose rate 1.8 Gray/second. The optimum conditions of hydrogel preparation takes place at different factors such as composition ratios of PVA/AAc, different comonomer concentration and different irradiation doses resulting in hydrogel with maximum gel percent as it obtained 98%. The structures of hydrogels were characterized by FTIR analysis. The results can be confirmed the expected structures as well as free radical copolymerization. According to the swelling studies, hydrogels with high content of AAc gave relatively high swelling percent. The hydrogel showed a super adsorbent with swelling capacity 10320 %. Water diffusion into such prepared hydrogel showed a non-Fickian type where a Fickian number was 0.77. This hydrogel was used for the adsorption of amoxicillin drug from their aqueous solutions. The factors affected on the uptake conditions such as ph, time and initial feed concentration on the amoxicillin adsorption capacity of hydrogel was studied depending on Freundlish model of adsorption isotherm.. It was observed that the interaction between drug and ionic comonomers was enhanced in alkaline medium and high initial feed concentration of the drug. The ability of the hydrogel and the affinity of the drug to be adsorbed can be cleared by determining the empirical constants n and k respectively from the logarithmic form of Freundlish equation. The recovery of drug was also investigated in different ph values to study the suitable condition of drug release as drug delivery system.

  20. Depletion of abundant plasma proteins by poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-acrylic acid) hydrogel particles

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Such-Sanmartín, Gerard; Ventura-Espejo, Estela; Jensen, Ole N

    2014-01-01

    the application of pH-sensitive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-acrylic acid) hydrogel particles for removal of abundant plasma proteins, prior to proteome analysis by MS. Protein depletion occurs by two separate mechanisms: (1) hydrogel particles incubated with low concentrations of plasma capture abundant proteins...... proteins are released and recovered in the eluate. We developed a series of distinct depletion protocols that proved useful for sample depletion and fractionation and facilitated targeted analysis of putative biomarkers such as IGF1-2, IBP2-7, ALS, KLK6-7, ISK5, and PLF4 by selected reaction monitoring...

  1. Preparation, properties and biological application of pH-sensitive poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) hydrogels grafted with acrylic acid(AAc) using gamma-ray irradiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nho, Y.C.; Mook Lim, Youn; Moo Lee, Young

    2004-01-01

    pH-sensitive hydrogels were studied as a drug carrier for the protection of insulin from the acidic environment of the stomach before releasing it in the small intestine. In this study, hydrogels based on poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) networks grafted with acrylic acid (AAc) were prepared via a two-step process. PEO hydrogels were prepared by γ-ray irradiation, and then grafting by AAc monomer onto the PEO hydrogels with the subsequent irradiation (radiation dose: 5-20 kGy, dose rate: 2.15 kGy/h). These grafted hydrogels showed a pH-sensitive swelling behavior. The grafted hydrogels were used as a carrier for the drug delivery systems for the controlled release of insulin. The in vitro drug release behaviors of these hydrogels were examined by quantification analysis with a UV/VIS spectrophotometer. Insulin was loaded into freeze-dried hydrogels (7 mmx3 mmx2.5 mm) and administrated orally to healthy and diabetic Wistar rats. The oral administration of insulin-loaded hydrogels to Wistar rats decreased the blood glucose levels obviously for at least 4 h due to the absorption of insulin in the gastrointestinal tract

  2. Stimuli-sensitive hydrogels: A novel ophthalmic drug delivery system

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Singh Vinod

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: Stimuli-sensitive hydrogels are three-dimensional, hydrophilic, polymeric networks capable of imbibing large amounts of water or biological fluids on stimulation, such as pH, temperature and ionic change. Aim: To develop hydrogels that are sensitive to stimuli, i.e. pH, in the cul-de-sac of the eye for providing a prolonged effect and increased bioavailability with reduction in frequency of administration. Materials and Methods: Hydrogels were formulated by using timolol maleate as the model drug, polyacrylic acid as the gelling agents, hydroxyl ethyl cellulose as the viscolizer and sodium chloride as the isotonic agent. Stirring of ingredients in pH 4 phosphate buffer at high speed was carried out. The dynamic dialysis technique was used for drug release studies. In vivo study for reduction in intraocular pressure was carried out by using albino rabbits. Statistical Analysis: Drug release studies data were used for statistical analysis in first-order plots, Higuchi plots and Peppas exponential plots. Student t-test was performed for in vivo study. Results: Viscosity of the hydrogel increases from 3.84 cps to 9.54 cps due to change in pH 4 to pH 7.4. The slope value of the Peppas equation was found to be 0.3081, 0.3743 and 0.2964. Up to 80% of drug was released in an 8 h drug release study. Sterile hydrogels with no ocular irritation were obtained. Conclusions: Hydrogels show increase in viscosity due to change in pH. Hydrogels were therapeutically effacious, stable, non-irritant and showed Fickian diffusion. In vivo results clearly show a prolonged reduction in intraocular pressure, which was helpful for reduction in the frequency of administration.

  3. Swelling and thermodynamic studies of temperature responsive 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate/itaconic acid copolymeric hydrogels prepared via gamma radiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tomic, Simonida L.J.; Micic, Maja M.; Filipovic, Jovanka M.; Suljovrujic, Edin H.

    2007-01-01

    The copolymeric hydrogels based on 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) and itaconic acid (IA) were synthesized by gamma radiation induced radical polymerization. Swelling and thermodynamic properties of PHEMA and copolymeric P(HEMA/IA) hydrogels with different IA contents (2, 3.5 and 5 mol%) were studied in a wide pH and temperature range. Initial studies of so-prepared hydrogels show interesting pH and temperature sensitivity in swelling and drug release behavior. Special attention was devoted to temperature investigations around physiological temperature (37 deg. C), where small changes in temperature significantly influence swelling and drug release of these hydrogels. Due to maximum swelling of hydrogels around 40 deg. C, the P(HEMA/IA) hydrogel containing 5 mol% of IA without and with drug-antibiotic (gentamicin) were investigated at pH 7.40 and in the temperature range 25-42 deg. C, in order to evaluate their potential for medical applications

  4. Preparation of supramolecular hydrogel-enzyme hybrids exhibiting biomolecule-responsive gel degradation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shigemitsu, Hajime; Fujisaku, Takahiro; Onogi, Shoji; Yoshii, Tatsuyuki; Ikeda, Masato; Hamachi, Itaru

    2016-09-01

    Hydrogelators are small, self-assembling molecules that form supramolecular nanofiber networks that exhibit unique dynamic properties. Development of supramolecular hydrogels that degrade in response to various biomolecules could potentially be used for applications in areas such as drug delivery and diagnostics. Here we provide a synthetic procedure for preparing redox-responsive supramolecular hydrogelators that are used to create hydrogels that degrade in response to oxidizing or reducing conditions. The synthesis takes ∼2-4 d, and it can potentially be carried out in parallel to prepare multiple hydrogelator candidates. This described solid-phase peptide synthesis protocol can be used to produce previously described hydrogelators or to construct a focused molecular library to efficiently discover and optimize new hydrogelators. In addition, we describe the preparation of redox-responsive supramolecular hydrogel-enzyme hybrids that are created by mixing aqueous solutions of hydrogelators and enzymes, which requires 2 h for completion. The resultant supramolecular hydrogel-enzyme hybrids exhibit gel degradation in response to various biomolecules, and can be rationally designed by connecting the chemical reactions of the hydrogelators with enzymatic reactions. Gel degradation in response to biomolecules as triggers occurs within a few hours. We also describe the preparation of hydrogel-enzyme hybrids arrayed on flat glass slides, enabling high-throughput analysis of biomolecules such as glucose, uric acid, lactate and so on by gel degradation, which is detectable by the naked eye. The protocol requires ∼6 h to prepare the hydrogel-enzyme hybrid array and to complete the biomolecule assay.

  5. Synthesis and Swelling Behavior of pH-Sensitive Semi-IPN Superabsorbent Hydrogels Based on Poly(acrylic acid Reinforced with Cellulose Nanocrystals

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lim Sze Lim

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available pH-sensitive poly(acrylic acid (PAA hydrogel reinforced with cellulose nanocrystals (CNC was prepared. Acrylic acid (AA was subjected to chemical cross-linking using the cross-linking agent MBA (N,N-methylenebisacrylamide with CNC entrapped in the PAA matrix. The quantity of CNC was varied between 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 wt %. X-ray diffraction (XRD data showed an increase in crystallinity with the addition of CNC, while rheology tests demonstrated a significant increase in the storage modulus of the hydrogel with an increase in CNC content. It was found that the hydrogel reached maximum swelling at pH 7. The potential of the resulting hydrogels to act as drug carriers was then evaluated by means of the drug encapsulation efficiency test using theophylline as a model drug. It was observed that 15% CNC/PAA hydrogel showed the potential to be used as drug carrier system.

  6. Cupula-Inspired Hyaluronic Acid-Based Hydrogel Encapsulation to Form Biomimetic MEMS Flow Sensors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kottapalli, Ajay Giri Prakash; Bora, Meghali; Kanhere, Elgar; Asadnia, Mohsen; Miao, Jianmin; Triantafyllou, Michael S

    2017-07-28

    Blind cavefishes are known to detect objects through hydrodynamic vision enabled by arrays of biological flow sensors called neuromasts. This work demonstrates the development of a MEMS artificial neuromast sensor that features a 3D polymer hair cell that extends into the ambient flow. The hair cell is monolithically fabricated at the center of a 2 μm thick silicon membrane that is photo-patterned with a full-bridge bias circuit. Ambient flow variations exert a drag force on the hair cell, which causes a displacement of the sensing membrane. This in turn leads to the resistance imbalance in the bridge circuit generating a voltage output. Inspired by the biological neuromast, a biomimetic synthetic hydrogel cupula is incorporated on the hair cell. The morphology, swelling behavior, porosity and mechanical properties of the hyaluronic acid hydrogel are characterized through rheology and nanoindentation techniques. The sensitivity enhancement in the sensor output due to the material and mechanical contributions of the micro-porous hydrogel cupula is investigated through experiments.

  7. Dually cross-linked single network poly(acrylic acid) hydrogels with superior mechanical properties and water absorbency.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhong, Ming; Liu, Yi-Tao; Liu, Xiao-Ying; Shi, Fu-Kuan; Zhang, Li-Qin; Zhu, Mei-Fang; Xie, Xu-Ming

    2016-06-28

    Poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) hydrogels with superior mechanical properties, based on a single network structure with dual cross-linking, are prepared by one-pot free radical polymerization. The network structure of the PAA hydrogels is composed of dual cross-linking: a dynamic and reversible ionic cross-linking among the PAA chains enabled by Fe(3+) ions, and a sparse covalent cross-linking enabled by a covalent cross-linker (Bis). Under deformation, the covalently cross-linked PAA chains remain intact to maintain their original configuration, while the Fe(3+)-enabled ionic cross-linking among the PAA chains is broken to dissipate energy and then recombined. It is found that the mechanical properties of the PAA hydrogels are significantly influenced by the contents of covalent cross-linkers, Fe(3+) ions and water, which can be adjusted within a substantial range and thus broaden the applications of the hydrogels. Meanwhile, the PAA hydrogels have excellent recoverability based on the dynamic and reversible ionic cross-linking enabled by Fe(3+) ions. Moreover, the swelling capacity of the PAA hydrogels is as high as 1800 times in deionized water due to the synergistic effects of ionic and covalent cross-linkings. The combination of balanced mechanical properties, efficient recoverability, high swelling capacity and facile preparation provides a new method to obtain high-performance hydrogels.

  8. Radiation synthesis and characterization of pH-sensitive poly(acrylic acid-co-N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone) hydrogels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yang Mingcheng; Zhu Jun; Song Weidong; Song Hongyan; Zhu Chengshen

    2006-01-01

    Hydrogels are crosslinked, three-dimensional hydrophilic polymer networks that swell but do not dissolve when brought into contact with water. These materials have been investigated extensively for potential applications in the biomedical field because of their similarities to soft tissues and their good tissue and blood compatibility. More specifically, pH-sensitive hydrogels are used for sustained gastro-intestinal drug delivery systems due to the intimacy and extended duration of contact. In this work, pH-sensitive copolymer hydrogels were prepared using acrylic acid and N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone by γ-ray irradiation at ambient temperature. Effects of dose, monomer concentration, monomer composition, temperature and pH on the swelling ratio (SR) of the copolymer hydrogels were investigated in detail. The results show that SR of the copolymer hydrogels decreases with the monomer concentration and with the increase of absorbed dose. These copolymer hydrogels show good pH-sensitive behavior. These material shows no noticeable change in swelling at lower pH (pH<4) but an abrupt increase in swelling at higher pH (from pH7 to pH9.8). At pH 1.4, the SR of the copolymer hydrogels increases with the temperature. To the contrary, at pH 9.8, the SR of the copolymer hydrogels decreases with the temperature. (authors)

  9. Preparation of poly(polyethylene glycol methacrylate-co-acrylic acid) hydrogels by radiation and their physical properties

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Park, S.-E.; Nho, Y.-C.; Kim, H.-I.

    2004-01-01

    The pH-responsive copolymer hydrogels were prepared with the monomers of polyethylene glycol methacrylate and acrylic acid based on γ-ray irradiation technique. The gel content of these copolymer hydrogels varied depending on both the composition of monomers and the radiation dose. Maximum gel percent and degree of crosslinking were obtained at the composition of equal amount of comonomers. These copolymer hydrogels did not show any noticeable change in swelling at lower pH range. However they showed an abrupt increase in swelling at higher pH range due to the ionization of carboxyl groups. This pH-responsive swelling behavior was applied for the insulin carrier via oral delivery. Insulin-loaded copolymer hydrogels released most of their insulin in the simulated intestinal fluid which had a pH of 6.8 but not in the simulated gastric fluid which had a pH of 1.2

  10. Effect of citric acid crosslinking cellulose-based hydrogels on osteogenic differentiation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Raucci, M G; Alvarez-Perez, M A; Demitri, C; Giugliano, D; De Benedictis, V; Sannino, A; Ambrosio, L

    2015-06-01

    Understanding the relationships between material surface properties and cellular responses is essential to designing optimal material surfaces for implantation and tissue engineering. In this study, cellulose hydrogels were crosslinked using a non-toxic and natural component namely citric acid. The chemical treatment induces COOH functional groups that improve the hydrophilicity, roughness, and materials rheological properties. The physiochemical, morphological, and mechanical analyses were performed to analyze the material surface before and after crosslinking. This approach would help determine if the effect of chemical treatment on cellulose hydrogel improves the hydrophilicity, roughness, and rheological properties of the scaffold. In this study, it was demonstrated that the biological responses of human mesenchymal stem cell with regard to cell adhesion, proliferation, and differentiation were influenced in vitro by changing the surface chemistry and roughness. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  11. A novel dextran hydrogel linking trans-ferulic acid for the stabilization and transdermal delivery of vitamin E.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cassano, Roberta; Trombino, Sonia; Muzzalupo, Rita; Tavano, Lorena; Picci, Nevio

    2009-05-01

    Long-term exposure of the skin to UV light causes degenerative effects, which can be minimized by using antioxidant formulations. The major challenge in this regard is that a significant amount of antioxidant should reach at the site for effective photoprotection. However, barrier properties of the skin limit their use. In the present study, vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol) was loaded into a dextran hydrogel containing ferulic moieties, covalently linked, to improve its topical delivery, and also to increase its relative poor stability, which is due to direct exposure to UV light. Methacrylic groups were first introduced onto the dextran polymer backbones, then the obtained methacrylated dextran was copolymerized with aminoethyl methacrylate, and subsequently esterificated with trans-ferulic acid. The new biopolymer was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The values of content of phenolic groups were determined. Its ability in inhibiting lipid peroxidation in rat liver microsomal membranes induced in vitro by a source of free radicals, that is tert-butyl hydroperoxide, was studied. Hydrogel was also characterized for swelling behaviour, vitamin E loading efficiency, release, and deposition on the rabbit skin. Additionally, vitamin E deposition was compared through hydrogels, respectively, containing and not containing trans-ferulic acid. The results showed that ferulate hydrogel was a more effective carrier in protecting vitamin E from photodegradation than hydrogel without antioxidant moieties. Then antioxidant hydrogel could be of potential use for cosmetic and pharmaceutical purposes as carrier of vitamin E that is an antioxidant that reduces erythema, photoaging, photocarcinogenesis, edema, and skin hypersensitivity associated with exposure to ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation, because of its protective effects.

  12. Low-cost removal of organic pollutants with nickel nanoparticle loaded ordered macroporous hydrogel as high performance catalyst

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tang, Mingyi, E-mail: tmyi@tjcu.edu.cn [Department of Applied Chemistry, School of Science, Tianjin University of Commerce, Tianjin 300134 (China); Huang, Guanbo, E-mail: gbhuang2007@hotmail.com [Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072 (China); Zhang, Sai [Department of Applied Chemistry, School of Science, Tianjin University of Commerce, Tianjin 300134 (China); Liu, Yue [Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072 (China); Li, Xianxian [Department of Applied Chemistry, School of Science, Tianjin University of Commerce, Tianjin 300134 (China); Wang, Xingrui [Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072 (China); Pang, Xiaobo [Department of Applied Chemistry, School of Science, Tianjin University of Commerce, Tianjin 300134 (China); Qiu, Haixia, E-mail: qhx@tju.edu.cn [Department of Chemistry, School of Science, Tianjin University, Tianjin 300072 (China)

    2014-06-01

    A facile route for the in situ preparation of catalytically active Ni nanoparticles (NPs) in ordered macroporous hydrogel (OMH) has been developed. The hydrogel was fabricated based on polystyrene colloid template. The electronegativity of amide and carboxyl groups on the poly(acrylamide-co-acryl acid) chains of the hydrogel caused strong binding of Ni{sup 2+} ions which made them distribute uniformly inside the hydrogel. When immersed in NaBH{sub 4} aqueous solution, the Ni{sup 2+} ions on the hydrogel were reduced to Ni NPs. The resultant Ni NPs loaded OMH showed good catalytic activity for the reduction of a common organic pollutant, 4-nitrophenol, with NaBH{sub 4}. A kinetic study of the catalytic reaction was carried out. The rate constant per unit weight could reach 0.53 s{sup −1} g{sup −1}, which is much better than many common hydrogel loaded nickel catalysts. Moreover, the current catalyst can be easily separated and recovered with stable catalytic activity. - Highlights: • A new poly(acrylamide-co-acryl acid) hydrogel with ordered macropores. • A simple in situ fabrication of nickel nanoparticles under mild conditions. • High-performance heterogeneous catalyst for removal of nitrophenol from water. • Good recyclability of catalyst without any complicated regeneration process.

  13. Low-cost removal of organic pollutants with nickel nanoparticle loaded ordered macroporous hydrogel as high performance catalyst

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Tang, Mingyi; Huang, Guanbo; Zhang, Sai; Liu, Yue; Li, Xianxian; Wang, Xingrui; Pang, Xiaobo; Qiu, Haixia

    2014-01-01

    A facile route for the in situ preparation of catalytically active Ni nanoparticles (NPs) in ordered macroporous hydrogel (OMH) has been developed. The hydrogel was fabricated based on polystyrene colloid template. The electronegativity of amide and carboxyl groups on the poly(acrylamide-co-acryl acid) chains of the hydrogel caused strong binding of Ni 2+ ions which made them distribute uniformly inside the hydrogel. When immersed in NaBH 4 aqueous solution, the Ni 2+ ions on the hydrogel were reduced to Ni NPs. The resultant Ni NPs loaded OMH showed good catalytic activity for the reduction of a common organic pollutant, 4-nitrophenol, with NaBH 4 . A kinetic study of the catalytic reaction was carried out. The rate constant per unit weight could reach 0.53 s −1  g −1 , which is much better than many common hydrogel loaded nickel catalysts. Moreover, the current catalyst can be easily separated and recovered with stable catalytic activity. - Highlights: • A new poly(acrylamide-co-acryl acid) hydrogel with ordered macropores. • A simple in situ fabrication of nickel nanoparticles under mild conditions. • High-performance heterogeneous catalyst for removal of nitrophenol from water. • Good recyclability of catalyst without any complicated regeneration process

  14. Biomolecule-Responsive Hydrogels in Medicine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sharifzadeh, Ghorbanali; Hosseinkhani, Hossein

    2017-12-01

    Recent advances and applications of biomolecule-responsive hydrogels, namely, glucose-responsive hydrogels, protein-responsive hydrogels, and nucleic-acid-responsive hydrogels are highlighted. However, achieving the ultimate purpose of using biomolecule-responsive hydrogels in preclinical and clinical areas is still at the very early stage and calls for more novel designing concepts and advance ideas. On the way toward the real/clinical application of biomolecule-responsive hydrogels, plenty of factors should be extensively studied and examined under both in vitro and in vivo conditions. For example, biocompatibility, biointegration, and toxicity of biomolecule-responsive hydrogels should be carefully evaluated. From the living body's point of view, biocompatibility is seriously depended on the interactions at the tissue/polymer interface. These interactions are influenced by physical nature, chemical structure, surface properties, and degradation of the materials. In addition, the developments of advanced hydrogels with tunable biological and mechanical properties which cause no/low side effects are of great importance. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  15. Hyaluronic acid hydrogels with IKVAV peptides for tissue repair and axonal regeneration in an injured rat brain

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wei, Y T; Tian, W M; Yu, X; Cui, F Z; Hou, S P; Xu, Q Y; Lee, In-Seop

    2007-01-01

    A biocompatible hydrogel of hyaluronic acid with the neurite-promoting peptide sequence of IKVAV was synthesized. The characterization of the hydrogel shows an open porous structure and a large surface area available for cell interaction. Its ability to promote tissue repair and axonal regeneration in the lesioned rat cerebrum is also evaluated. After implantation, the polymer hydrogel repaired the tissue defect and formed a permissive interface with the host tissue. Axonal growth occurred within the microstructure of the network. Within 6 weeks the polymer implant was invaded by host-derived tissue, glial cells, blood vessels and axons. Such a hydrogel matrix showed the properties of neuron conduction. It has the potential to repair tissue defects in the central nervous system by promoting the formation of a tissue matrix and axonal growth by replacing the lost tissue

  16. Cytotoxicity and metal ions removal using antibacterial biodegradable hydrogels based on N-quaternized chitosan/poly(acrylic acid).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mohamed, Riham R; Elella, Mahmoud H Abu; Sabaa, Magdy W

    2017-05-01

    Physically crosslinked hydrogels resulted from interaction between N,N,N-trimethyl chitosan chloride (N-Quaternized Chitosan) (NQC) and poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) were synthesized in different weight ratios (3:1), (1:1) and (1:3) taking the following codes Q3P1, Q1P1 and Q1P3, respectively. Characterization of the mentioned hydrogels was done using several analysis tools including; FTIR, XRD, SEM, TGA, biodegradation in simulated body fluid (SBF) and cytotoxicity against HepG-2 liver cancer cells. FTIR results proved that the prepared hydrogels were formed via electrostatic and H-bonding interactions, while XRD patterns proved that the prepared hydrogels -irrespective to their ratios- were more crystalline than both matrices NQC and PAA. TGA results, on the other hand, revealed that Q1P3 hydrogel was the most thermally stable compared to the other two hydrogels (Q3P1 and Q1P1). Biodegradation tests in SBF proved that these hydrogels were more biodegradable than the native chitosan. Examination of the prepared hydrogels for their potency in heavy metal ions removal revealed that they adsorbed Fe (III) and Cd (II) ions more than chitosan, while they adsorbed Cr (III), Ni (II) and Cu (II) ions less than chitosan. Moreover, testing the prepared hydrogels as antibacterial agents towards several Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria revealed their higher antibacterial activity as compared with NQC when used alone. Evaluating the cytotoxic effect of these hydrogels on an in vitro human liver cancer cell model (HepG-2) showed their good cytotoxic activity towards HepG-2. Moreover, the inhibition rate increased with increasing the hydrogels concentration in the culture medium. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  17. In situ assembly of fibrinogen/hyaluronic acid hydrogel via knob-hole interaction for 3D cellular engineering

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shengjie Huang

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Hyaluronic acid (HA-based hydrogels have applied widely for biomedical applications due to its biocompatibility and biodegradability. However, the use of initiators or crosslinkers during the hydrogel formation may cause cytotoxicity and thereby impair the biocompatibility. Inspired by the crosslinking mechanism of fibrin gel, a novel HA-based hydrogel was developed via the in situ supramolecular assembly based on knob-hole interactions between fibrinogen and knob-grafted HA (knob-g-HA in this study. The knob-grafted HA was synthesized by coupling knob peptides (GPRPAAC, a mimic peptide of fibrin knob A to HA via Michael addition. Then the translucent fibrinogen/knob-g-HA hydrogels were prepared by simply mixing the solutions of knob-g-HA and fibrinogen at the knob/hole ratio of 1.2. The rheological behaviors of the fibrinogen/knob-g-HA hydrogels with the fibrinogen concentrations of 50, 100 and 200 mg/mL were evaluated, and it was found that the dynamic storage moduli (G′ were higher than the loss moduli (G″ over the whole frequency range for all the groups. The SEM results showed that fibrinogen/knob-g-HA hydrogels presented the heterogeneous mesh-like structures which were different from the honeycomb-like structures of fibrinogen/MA-HA hydrogels. Correspondingly, a higher swelling ratio was obtained in the groups of fibrinogen/knob-g-HA hydrogel. Finally, the cytocompatibility of fibrinogen/knob-g-HA hydrogels was proved by live/dead stainings and MTT assays in the 293T cells encapsulation test. All these results highlight the biological potential of the fibrinogen/knob-g-HA hydrogels for 3D cellular engineering.

  18. Diffusion coefficient, porosity measurement, dynamic and equilibrium swelling studies of Acrylic acid/Polyvinyl alcohol (AA/PVA hydrogels

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nazar Mohammad Ranjha

    2015-06-01

    Full Text Available Objective of the present work was to synthesize hydrogels of acrylic acid/polyvinyl alcohol (AA/PVA by free radical polymerization by using glutaradehyde (GA as crosslinkers. The hydrogels were evaluated for swelling, diffusion coefficient and network parameters like the average molecular weight between crosslink’s, polymer volume fraction in swollen state, number of repeating units between crosslinks and crosslinking density by using Flory-Huggins theory. It was found that the degree of swelling of AA/PVA hydrogels increases greatly within the pH range 5-7. The gel fraction and porosity increased by increasing the concentration of AA or PVA. Increase in degree of crosslinking, decreased the porosity and inverse was observed in gel fraction. Selected samples were loaded with metoprolol tartrate. Drug release was studied in USP hydrochloric acid solution of pH 1.2 and phosphate buffer solutions of pH 5.5 and 7.5. Various kinetics models like zero order, first order, Higuchi and Peppas model were used for in vitro kinetic studies. The results showed that the drug release followed concentration dependent effect (First order kinetics with non-Fickian diffusion. FTIR and SEM used to study the structure, crystallinity, compatibility, thermal stability and morphology of prepared and drug loaded hydrogels respectively.

  19. Extended release of hyaluronic acid from hydrogel contact lenses for dry eye syndrome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maulvi, Furqan A; Soni, Tejal G; Shah, Dinesh O

    2015-01-01

    Current dry eye treatment includes delivering comfort enhancing agents to the eye via eye drops, but low residence time of eye drops leads to low bioavailability. Frequent administration leads to incompliance in patients, so there is a great need for medical device such as contact lenses to treat dry eye. Studies in the past have demonstrated the efficacy of hyaluronic acid (HA) in the treatment of dry eyes using eye drops. In this paper, we present two methods to load HA in hydrogel contact lenses, soaking method and direct entrapment. The contact lenses were characterized by studying their optical and physical properties to determine their suitability as extended wear contact lenses. HA-laden hydrogel contact lenses prepared by soaking method showed release up to 48 h with acceptable physical and optical properties. Hydrogel contact lenses prepared by direct entrapment method showed significant sustained release in comparison to soaking method. HA entrapped in hydrogels resulted in reduction in % transmittance, sodium ion permeability and surface contact angle, while increase in % swelling. The impact on each of these properties was proportional to HA loading. The batch with 200-μg HA loading showed all acceptable values (parameters) for contact lens use. Results of cytotoxicity study indicated the safety of hydrogel contact lenses. In vivo pharmacokinetics studies in rabbit tear fluid showed dramatic increase in HA mean residence time and area under the curve with lenses in comparison to eye drop treatment. The study demonstrates the promising potential of delivering HA through contact lenses for the treatment of dry eye syndrome.

  20. In vitro release studies of vitamin B12 from poly N-vinyl pyrrolidone /starch hydrogels grafted with acrylic acid synthesized by gamma radiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Eid, M.

    2008-01-01

    Co-polymeric hydrogels containing N-vinyl pyrrolidone and starch grafted with acrylic acid were synthesized by gamma radiation. Their gel contents, grafting process and swelling were evaluated. The gels were also characterized by thermal gravimetric analysis. The gel content found to be increase with increasing the irradiation dose up to 50 kGy then decrease. The grafting percent increase by increasing the percentage of acrylic acid in the grafted hydrogels. The thermal stability and the rate of the thermal decomposition showed to be changed according to the different composition of the hydrogels. It also showed a decrease in the maximum rate of the thermal decomposition by the increasing of the irradiation dose from 20 to 30 kGy and increases by increasing the irradiation dose from 30 to 70 kGy. The hydrogels loaded with vitamin B 12 as drug model, demonstrated a decrease release in acidic medium than the neutral one

  1. The evaluation of temperature and pH influences on equilibrium swelling of poly(n-isopropylacrylamide-co-acrylic acid hydrogels

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zdravković Aleksandar S.

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Hydrogels are synthesized by the method of radical polymerization of monomers: N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM and acrylic acid (AA. Characterization of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide- co-acrylic acid hydrogels, p(NIPAM/AA, has been performed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR, X-ray diffraction (XRD and by determination of the swelling behaviour in aqueous solutions at different temperatures (25, 31 and 37°C and pH values (2.2, 4.5, 6 and 6.8. After lyophilisation in the solution at pH 6 and temperature of 25°C, p(NIPAM/AA hydrogels have rapidly reached equilibrium degree of swelling, αe, in comparison to non-lyophilized samples. The mechanism of solvent transport within matrix in lyophilized samples corresponds to less Fickian diffusion, whereas Super case II diffusion is characteristic for non-lyophilized samples. p(NIPAM/AA hydrogel with 1.5 mol% of ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDM at the temperature of 25°C and pH 6.8, has reached the highest swelling equilibrium degree, αe = 259.8. The results of swelling studies have shown that p(NIPAM/AA hydrogels can be classified as superabsorbent polymers (SAPs. For the evaluation of pH and temperature influences on synthesized hydrogels swelling, a full three-level experimental design has been used. Two-factor interaction model (2FI is the most optimal model of a full three-level experimental design for representing the swelling equilibrium degree of p(NIPAM/AA hydrogels as a function of investigated parameters, i.e., temperature and pH. [Project of the Serbian Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, Grant no. TR-34012

  2. Enzyme-mediated hyaluronic acid-tyramine hydrogels for the propagation of human embryonic stem cells in 3D.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Keming; Narayanan, Karthikeyan; Lee, Fan; Bae, Ki Hyun; Gao, Shujun; Kurisawa, Motoichi

    2015-09-01

    The propagation of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) in three-dimensional (3D) scaffolds facilitates the cell expansion process and supplies pluripotent cells of high quality for broad-spectrum applications in regenerative medicine. Herein, we report an enzyme-mediated hyaluronic acid-tyramine (HA-Tyr) hydrogel that encapsulated and propagated hESCs in 3D. HA-Tyr hydrogels were formed by crosslinking the tyramine moieties with horseradish peroxidase (HRP) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). By changing the HRP and H2O2 concentration, we prepared HA-Tyr hydrogels of different mechanical strength and studied the self-renewal properties of hESCs in these scaffolds. We observed that both the chemical composition and mechanical strength of substrates were important factors affecting cell proliferation and pluripotency. The HA-Tyr hydrogel with a compressive modulus of ∼350Pa supported the proliferation of hESCs at the pluripotent state in both mTeSR1 medium and mouse embryonic fibroblast (MEF)-conditioned medium. Immunohistochemical analyses revealed that hESCs proliferated well and formed spheroid structures in 3D, without undergoing apoptosis. The hESCs cultured in HA-Tyr hydrogels showed high expression of CD44 and pluripotency markers. These cells exhibited the capability to form cell derivatives of all three embryonic germ layers in vitro and in vivo. In addition, the genetic integrity of the hESCs was unaffected in the 3D cultivation system. The scope of this study is to provide a stable 3D cultivation system for the expansion of human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) towards clinical applications. We report an enzyme mediated hyaluronic acid-tyramine (HA-Tyr) hydrogel that encapsulated and propagated hESCs in 3D. Unlike other HA-based photo-crosslinked hydrogel systems reported, we investigated the effects of mechanical strength of hydrogels on the self-renewal properties of hESCs in 3D. Then, we characterized hESCs cultured in hydrogels with lower mechanical strength

  3. Stem Cell-Containing Hyaluronic Acid-Based Spongy Hydrogels for Integrated Diabetic Wound Healing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    da Silva, Lucília Pereira; Santos, Tírcia Carlos; Rodrigues, Daniel Barreira; Pirraco, Rogério Pedro; Cerqueira, Mariana Teixeira; Reis, Rui Luís; Correlo, Vitor Manuel; Marques, Alexandra Pinto

    2017-07-01

    The detailed pathophysiology of diabetic foot ulcers is yet to be established and improved treatments are still required. We propose a strategy that directs inflammation, neovascularization, and neoinnervation of diabetic wounds. Aiming to potentiate a relevant secretome for nerve regeneration, stem cells were precultured in hyaluronic acid-based spongy hydrogels under neurogenic/standard media before transplantation into diabetic mice full-thickness wounds. Acellular spongy hydrogels and empty wounds were used as controls. Re-epithelialization was attained 4 weeks after transplantation independently of the test groups, whereas a thicker and more differentiated epidermis was observed for the cellular spongy hydrogels. A switch from the inflammatory to the proliferative phase of wound healing was revealed for all the experimental groups 2 weeks after injury, but a significantly higher M2(CD163 + )/M1(CD86 + ) subtype ratio was observed in the neurogenic preconditioned group that also failed to promote neoinnervation. A higher number of intraepidermal nerve fibers were observed for the unconditioned group probably due to a more controlled transition from the inflammatory to the proliferative phase. Overall, stem cell-containing spongy hydrogels represent a promising approach to enhance diabetic wound healing by positively impacting re-epithelialization and by modulating the inflammatory response to promote a successful neoinnervation. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  4. Rheology and adhesion of poly(acrylic acid)/laponite nanocomposite hydrogels as biocompatible adhesives.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shen, Muxian; Li, Li; Sun, Yimin; Xu, Jun; Guo, Xuhong; Prud'homme, Robert K

    2014-02-18

    Biocompatible nanocomposite hydrogels (NC gels) consisting of poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) and nanosized clay (Laponite) were successfully synthesized by in situ free-radical polymerization of acrylic acid (AA) in aqueous solutions of Laponite. The obtained NC gels were uniform and transparent. Their viscosity, storage modulus G', and loss modulus G″ increased significantly upon increasing the content of Laponite and the dose of AA, while exhibiting a maximum with increasing the neutralization degree of AA. They showed tunable adhesion by changing the dose of Laponite and monomer as well as the neutralization degree of AA, as determined by 180° peel strength measurement. The maximal adhesion was shown when reaching a balance between cohesion and fluidity. A homemade Johnson-Kendall-Roberts (JKR) instrument was employed to study the surface adhesion behavior of the NC gels. The combination of peel strength, rheology, and JKR measurements offers the opportunity of insight into the mechanism of adhesion of hydrogels. The NC gels with tunable adhesion should be ideal candidates for dental adhesive, wound dressing, and tissue engineering.

  5. Synthesis and Characterization of pH and Thermo Dual-Responsive Hydrogels with a Semi-IPN Structure Based on N-Isopropylacrylamide and Itaconamic Acid.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rwei, Syang-Peng; Tuan, Huynh Nguyen Anh; Chiang, Whe-Yi; Way, Tun-Fun

    2018-04-28

    A series of semi-interpenetrating polymer network (semi-IPN) hydrogels were synthesized and investigated in this study. Linear copolymer poly( N -isopropylacrylamide-co-itaconamic acid) p(NIPAM-co-IAM), which is formed by copolymerization of N -isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM) and itaconamic acid (IAM, 4-amino-2-ethylene-4-oxobutanoic acid), was introduced into a solution of NIPAM to form a series of pH and thermo dual-responsive p(NIPAM-co-IAM)/pNIPAM semi-IPN hydrogels by free radical polymerization. The structural, morphological, chemical, and physical properties of the linear copolymer and semi-IPN hydrogels were investigated. The semi-IPN hydrogel showed high thermal stability according to thermal gravimetric analyzer (TGA). Scanning electronic microscopy (SEM) images showed that the pore size was in the range of 119~297 µm and could be controlled by the addition ratio of the linear copolymer in the semi-IPN structure. The addition of linear copolymer increased the fracture strain from 57.5 ± 2.9% to 91.1 ± 4.9% depending on the added amount, while the compressive modulus decreased as the addition increased. Moreover, the pH and thermo dual-responsive properties were investigated using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and monitoring the swelling behavior of the hydrogels. In deionized (DI) water, the equilibrium swelling ratio of the hydrogels decreased as the temperature increased from 20 °C to 50 °C, while it varied in various pH buffer solutions. In addition, the swelling and deswelling rates of the hydrogels also significantly increased. The results indicate that the novel pH-thermo dual-responsive semi-IPN hydrogels were synthesized successfully and may be a potential material for biomedical, drug delivery, or absorption application.

  6. Synthetic poly(amino acid) hydrogels with incorporated cell-adhesion peptides for tissue engineering

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Studenovská, Hana; Vodička, Petr; Proks, Vladimír; Hlučilová, Jana; Motlík, Jan; Rypáček, František

    2010-01-01

    Roč. 4, č. 6 (2010), s. 454-463 ISSN 1932-6254 R&D Projects: GA AV ČR KJB400500801; GA MŠk 1M0538 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z40500505; CEZ:AV0Z50450515 Keywords : polyamino acid * hydrogel * porosity Subject RIV: CD - Macromolecular Chemistry Impact factor: 3.534, year: 2010

  7. Cyto- and genotoxicological assessment and functional characterization of N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone-acrylic acid-based copolymeric hydrogels with potential for future use in wound healing applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kirf, Dominik; Devery, Sinead M; Higginbotham, Clement L; Rowan, Neil J

    2010-01-01

    This study investigated the toxicity of N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone-acrylic acid copolymer hydrogels crosslinked with ethylene glycol dimethacrylate or poly(ethylene glycol) dimethacrylate. There is a pressing need to establish the toxicity status of these new copolymers because they may find applications in future wound healing processes. Investigations revealed that the capacity of these hydrogels for swelling permitted the retention of high amounts of water yet still maintaining structural integrity. Reverse phase HPLC analysis suggested that unreacted monomeric base material was efficiently removed post-polymerization by applying an additional purification process. Subsequently, in vitro toxicity testing was performed utilizing direct and indirect contact exposure of the polymers to human keratinocytes (HaCaT) and human hepatoma (HepG2) cells. No indication of significant cell death was observed using the established MTT, neutral red (NR) and fluorescence-based toxicity endpoint indicators. In addition, the alkaline Comet assay showed no genotoxic effects following cell exposure to hydrogel extracts. Investigations at the nucleotide level using the Ames mutagenicity assay demonstrated no evidence of mutagenic activity associated with the polymers. Findings from this study demonstrated that these hydrogels are non-cytotoxic and further work can be carried out to investigate their potential as a wound-healing device that will impact positively on patient health and well-being.

  8. Cyto- and genotoxicological assessment and functional characterization of N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone-acrylic acid-based copolymeric hydrogels with potential for future use in wound healing applications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kirf, Dominik; Devery, Sinead M [Department of Life and Physical Science, Athlone Institute of Technology (Ireland); Higginbotham, Clement L [Materials Research Institute, Athlone Institute of Technology (Ireland); Rowan, Neil J, E-mail: sdevery@ait.i, E-mail: dkirf@ait.i, E-mail: chigginbotham@ait.i, E-mail: nrowan@ait.i [Department of Nursing and Health Science, Athlone Institute of Technology (Ireland)

    2010-06-01

    This study investigated the toxicity of N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone-acrylic acid copolymer hydrogels crosslinked with ethylene glycol dimethacrylate or poly(ethylene glycol) dimethacrylate. There is a pressing need to establish the toxicity status of these new copolymers because they may find applications in future wound healing processes. Investigations revealed that the capacity of these hydrogels for swelling permitted the retention of high amounts of water yet still maintaining structural integrity. Reverse phase HPLC analysis suggested that unreacted monomeric base material was efficiently removed post-polymerization by applying an additional purification process. Subsequently, in vitro toxicity testing was performed utilizing direct and indirect contact exposure of the polymers to human keratinocytes (HaCaT) and human hepatoma (HepG2) cells. No indication of significant cell death was observed using the established MTT, neutral red (NR) and fluorescence-based toxicity endpoint indicators. In addition, the alkaline Comet assay showed no genotoxic effects following cell exposure to hydrogel extracts. Investigations at the nucleotide level using the Ames mutagenicity assay demonstrated no evidence of mutagenic activity associated with the polymers. Findings from this study demonstrated that these hydrogels are non-cytotoxic and further work can be carried out to investigate their potential as a wound-healing device that will impact positively on patient health and well-being.

  9. Adsorption of {alpha}-amylase onto poly(N-vinyl 2-pyrrolidone/itaconic acid) hydrogels

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Tuemtuerk, Hayrettin; Caykara, Tuncer; Kantoglu, Oemer; Gueven, Olgun

    1999-05-02

    {alpha}-Amylase enzyme was adsorbed on poly(N-vinyl 2-pyrrolidone/itaconic acid) (P(VP/IA)) hydrogels prepared by irradiating the ternary mixtures of VP/IA/water by {gamma}-rays at ambient temperature. The adsorption capacity of the hydrogels was determined to increase from 2.30 to 3.40 mg {alpha}-amylase/g dry gel with increasing amount of IA in gel system. Kinetic parameters were calculated as 2.51 g/dm{sup 3} for K{sub m} and 1.67x10{sup -3} g/dm{sup 3} min for V{sub max} for free enzyme and in the range of 3.88-5.02 g/dm{sup 3} for K{sub m} and 1.62x10{sup -3}-2.27 x 10{sup -3} g/dm{sup 3} min for V{sub max} depending on the amount of IA in the hydrogel. Enzyme activities were found to increase from 49.9% to 77.4% with increasing amount of IA in the gel system and retained their activities for one month storage. On the other hand, the free enzyme loses its activity completely after 20 days.

  10. Radiation-induced synthesis and swelling properties of p(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate-co-itaconic acid-co-oligo(ethylene glycol) acrylate) copolymeric hydrogels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Micic, M.; Suljovrujic, E.

    2011-01-01

    Complete text of publication follows. Since it is presumed that by incorporation of pH-responsive (IA) and temperature-responsive (OEGA) co-monomers it is possible to prepare P(HEMA-co-IA-co-OEGA) hydrogels with duel (pH and thermo) responsiveness, the main purpose of this paper is to investigate the influence of different mole fractions of IA and especially OEGA on the diversity of the swelling properties of obtained hydrogels. For that reason, a series of copolymeric hydrogels with different mole ratios of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA), itaconic acid (IA) and oligo(ethylene glycol) acrylates (OEGA) was synthesized by gamma radiation. The obtained hydrogels were characterized by swelling studies in the wide pH (2.2-9.0) and temperature range (25-70 deg C), confirming dual (pH and thermo) responsiveness and a large variation in swelling capability. It was observed that the equilibrium swelling of P(HEMA-co-IA-co-OEGA) hydrogels, for a constant amount of IA, increases progressively with increasing in OEGA share. On the other hand, the dissociation of carboxyl (-COOH) groups from IA occurs at pH > 4; therefore, small mole fractions of IA render good pH sensitivity and a large increase in the swelling capacity of these hydrogels at higher pH values. Additional characterization of structure and properties was conducted by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and mechanical measurements, confirming that the inherent properties of the P(HEMA-co-IA-co-OEGA) hydrogels can be significantly tuned by variation in their composition. According to all presented, it seems that the obtained copolymeric hydrogels can be a beneficial synergetic combination for controlled delivery of bioactive molecules such as drugs, nucleic acids, peptides, and proteins.

  11. Co-assembly of chitosan and phospholipids into hybrid hydrogels

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mendes, Ana Carina Loureiro; Shekarforoush, Elhamalsadat; Engwer, Christoph

    2016-01-01

    Novel hybrid hydrogels were formed by adding chitosan (Ch) to phospholipids (P) self-assembled particles in lactic acid. The effect of the phospholipid concentration on the hydrogel properties was investigated and was observed to affect the rate of hydrogel formation and viscoelastic properties...

  12. Effect of ono and di-protic Acid on the Characterization of 2-hydroxyethyl-methacrylate based hydrogels Prepared by gamma-radiation and its Application for Delivery

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    El-Arnaouty, M.B.

    2010-01-01

    New co polymeric hydrogels based on 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate P(HEMA), 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate/acrylic acid P(HEMA/AAc) and 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate /maleic acid P(HEMA/MA) copolymers were prepared by using 60 Co gamma-rays, in order to examine the potential use of these hydrogels in controlled drug release systems. The characterization of network structure of these hydrogels was studied by FTIR, SEM and the gel fraction yield. The thermal stability by DSC and TGA, kinetic swelling, and drug release behavior were also studied. It was shown that as increasing irradiation dose, the gel fraction yield was increase and the swelling percent was decrease. The parameters of equilibrium swelling, maximum swelling, initial swelling rate, swelling exponent (n), diffusion constant (K), diffusion coefficient (D) and penetration velocity (V) of the hydrogels were determined by studying the swelling behavior of the prepared hydrogels. Also, the swelling behavior of copolymer hydrogels in response to ph value of the external media was studied, it is noted that the highest swelling values were obtained at ph 6.8. The in vitro drug release behavior of these hydrogels was examined by quantification analysis using UV/VIS spectrophotometers. Colchicine is the drug which used in treatment of gout; it was loaded into dried hydrogels to investigate the stimuli-sensitive property at the specific ph. The release studies showed that the highest value of release was found to be at ph 6.8, such hydrogels could be used as drug delivery system

  13. Synthesis of Potato Starch-Acrylic-Acid Hydrogels by Gamma Radiation and Their Application in Dye Adsorption

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Md. Murshed Bhuyan

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Several kinds of acrylic-acid-grafted-starch (starch/AAc hydrogels were prepared at room temperature (27°C by applying 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 kGy of gamma radiation to 15% AAc aqueous solutions containing 5, 7.5, and 15% of starch. With increment of the radiation dose, gel fraction became higher and attained the maximum (96.5% at 15 kGy, above which the fraction got lowered. On the other hand, the gel fraction monotonically increased with the starch content. Swelling ratios were lower for the starch/AAc hydrogels prepared with higher gamma-ray doses and so with larger starch contents. Significant promotions of the swelling ratios were demonstrated by hydrolysis with NaOH: 13632±10% for 15 kGy radiation-dosed [5% starch/15% AAc] hydrogel, while the maximum swelling ratio was ~200% for those without the treatment. The authors further investigated the availability of the starch/AAc hydrogel as an adsorbent recovering dye waste from the industrial effluents by adopting methylene blue as a model material; the hydrogels showed high dye-capturing coefficients which increase with the starch ratio. The optimum dye adsorption was found to be 576 mg per g of the hydrogel having 7.5 starch and 15% AAc composition. Two kinetic models, (i pseudo-first-order and (ii pseudo-second-order kinetic models, were applied to test the experimental data. The latter provided the best correlation of the experimental data compared to the pseudo-first-order model.

  14. Autonomously Self-Adhesive Hydrogels as Building Blocks for Additive Manufacturing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Deng, Xudong; Attalla, Rana; Sadowski, Lukas P; Chen, Mengsu; Majcher, Michael J; Urosev, Ivan; Yin, Da-Chuan; Selvaganapathy, P Ravi; Filipe, Carlos D M; Hoare, Todd

    2018-01-08

    We report a simple method of preparing autonomous and rapid self-adhesive hydrogels and their use as building blocks for additive manufacturing of functional tissue scaffolds. Dynamic cross-linking between 2-aminophenylboronic acid-functionalized hyaluronic acid and poly(vinyl alcohol) yields hydrogels that recover their mechanical integrity within 1 min after cutting or shear under both neutral and acidic pH conditions. Incorporation of this hydrogel in an interpenetrating calcium-alginate network results in an interfacially stiffer but still rapidly self-adhesive hydrogel that can be assembled into hollow perfusion channels by simple contact additive manufacturing within minutes. Such channels withstand fluid perfusion while retaining their dimensions and support endothelial cell growth and proliferation, providing a simple and modular route to produce customized cell scaffolds.

  15. A polycarboxylic/amino functionalized hyaluronic acid derivative for the production of pH sensible hydrogels in the prevention of bacterial adhesion on biomedical surfaces.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Palumbo, Fabio Salvatore; Bavuso Volpe, Antonella; Cusimano, Maria Grazia; Pitarresi, Giovanna; Giammona, Gaetano; Schillaci, Domenico

    2015-01-15

    A graft copolymer derivative of hyaluronic acid bearing pendant amino and short polymethacrylate portions (HA-EDA-BMP-MANa) has been employed for the production of a pH sensible vancomycin releasing hydrogel and studied in vitro to test its potential anti adhesive property against Staphylococcus aureus colonization. The copolymer obtained through atom transfer radical polymerization bears chargeable (carboxyl and amino groups) portions and it could be formulated as a hydrogel at a concentration of 10%w/v. The HA-EDA-BMP-MANa hydrogels, produced at three different pH values (5, 6 and 7, respectively), were formulated with or without the addition of vancomycin (2%w/v). The vancomycin release profiles were detected and related to the starting hydrogel pH values, demonstrating that the systems were able to sustain the release of drug for more than 48 h. S. aureus adhesion tests were performed on glass culture plates and hydroxyapatite doped titanium surfaces, comparing the performances of HA-EDA-BMP-MANa hydrogel formulations (obtained with and without vancomycin) with similar formulations obtained using unmodified hyaluronic acid. The non fouling property of a selected HA-EDA-BMP-MANa hydrogel (without vancomycin) was also assayed with a BSA adsorption test. We found that the HA-EDA-BMP-MANa hydrogel even without vancomycin prevented bacterial adhesion on investigated surfaces. Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  16. Photothermal-modulated drug delivery and magnetic relaxation based on collagen/poly(γ-glutamic acid hydrogel

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cho SH

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available Sun-Hee Cho,1,* Ahreum Kim,1,* Woojung Shin,2 Min Beom Heo,1 Hyun Jong Noh,1 Kwan Soo Hong,3,4 Jee-Hyun Cho,3,4 Yong Taik Lim1,2 1SKKU Advanced Institute of Nanotechnology (SAINT, 2School of Chemical Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, 3Bioimaging Research Team, Korea Basic Science Institute, Cheongju, 4Immunotherapy Convergence Research Center, Korea Research Institute of Bioscience and Biotechnology, Daejeon, Republic of Korea *These authors contributed equally to this work Abstract: Injectable and stimuli-responsive hydrogels have attracted attention in molecular imaging and drug delivery because encapsulated diagnostic or therapeutic components in the hydrogel can be used to image or change the microenvironment of the injection site by controlling various stimuli such as enzymes, temperature, pH, and photonic energy. In this study, we developed a novel injectable and photoresponsive composite hydrogel composed of anticancer drugs, imaging contrast agents, bio-derived collagen, and multifaceted anionic polypeptide, poly (γ-glutamic acid (γ-PGA. By the introduction of γ-PGA, the intrinsic temperature-dependent phase transition behavior of collagen was modified to a low viscous sol state at room temperature and nonflowing gel state around body temperature. The modified temperature-dependent phase transition behavior of collagen/γ-PGA hydrogels was also evaluated after loading of near-infrared (NIR fluorophore, indocyanine green (ICG, which could transform absorbed NIR photonic energy into thermal energy. By taking advantage of the abundant carboxylate groups in γ-PGA, cationic-charged doxorubicin (Dox and hydrophobic MnFe2O4 magnetic nanoparticles were also incorporated successfully into the collagen/γ-PGA hydrogels. By illumination of NIR light on the collagen/γ-PGA/Dox/ICG/MnFe2O4 hydrogels, the release kinetics of Dox and magnetic relaxation of MnFe2O4 nanoparticles could be modulated. The experimental results suggest that

  17. The Effect of Chondroitin Sulphate and Hyaluronic Acid on Chondrocytes Cultured within a Fibrin-Alginate Hydrogel

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Christopher J. Little

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available Osteoarthritis is a painful degenerative joint disease that could be better managed if tissue engineers can develop methods to create long-term engineered articular cartilage tissue substitutes. Many of the tissue engineered cartilage constructs currently available lack the chemical stimuli and cell-friendly environment that promote the matrix accumulation and cell proliferation needed for use in joint cartilage repair. The goal of this research was to test the efficacy of using a fibrin-alginate hydrogel containing hyaluronic acid (HA and/or chondroitin sulphate (CS supplements for chondrocyte culture. Neonatal porcine chondrocytes cultured in fibrin-alginate hydrogels retained their phenotype better than chondrocytes cultured in monolayer, as evidenced by analysis of their relative expression of type II versus type I collagen mRNA transcripts. HA or CS supplementation of the hydrogels increased matrix glycosaminoglycan (GAG production during the first week of culture. However, the effects of these supplements on matrix accumulation were not additive and were no longer observed after two weeks of culture. Supplementation of the hydrogels with CS or a combination of both CS and HA increased the chondrocyte cell population after two weeks of culture. Statistical analysis indicated that the HA and CS treatment effects on chondrocyte numbers may be additive. This research suggests that supplementation with CS and/or HA has positive effects on cartilage matrix production and chondrocyte proliferation in three-dimensional (3D fibrin-alginate hydrogels.

  18. PVA/atapulgite hydrogels; Hidrogeis de PVA/atapulgita

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Oliveira, R.N.; Soares, G.A., E-mail: nunes@metalmat.ufrj.b [Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), RJ (Brazil); Paranhos, C.M. [Universidade Federal de Sao Carlos (UFSCAR), SP (Brazil); Barreto, L.S. [Universidade Federal de Sergipe (UFS), Aracaju, SE (Brazil)

    2010-07-01

    PVA hydrogels can be used as wound-healing as a consequence of their biocompatibility, flexibility, etc. In order to improve mechanical resistance of wound-healing, polymeric hydrogels reinforced with clay have been studied. Among national clays, attapulgite stands out. Once it is a natural material, acid treatment can be required in order to remove impurities. In the present work, PVA hydrogels reinforced with attapulgite were produced and they were characterized by swelling behavior, XRD, DSC and traction test. Among all properties studied, hydrogels reinforced with activated attapulgite showed better mechanical resistance and Young module than the other samples. (author)

  19. Inverse opal pH sensors with various protic monomers copolymerized with polyhydroxyethylmethacrylate hydrogel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shin, Jinsub; Han, Sung Gu; Lee, Wonmok

    2012-01-01

    Highlights: ► We polymerized four different inverse opal pH sensors by using vinyl monomers containing acidic or basic substituents. ► Stepwise swelling response from polyprotic acid sensor was investigated. ► Opposite color changing responses were obtained for acidic and basic sensors. ► Composite pH sensor with wide pH sensing range was fabricated by mixing different monomers. ► Both acid and base sensors show the response time as fast as ∼10 s. - Abstract: pH sensitive inverse opal sensors were synthesized using various vinyl monomers containing acidic or basic substituents. Acrylic acid (AA), vinylphosphonic acid (VPA), vinylimidazole (VI), and dimethylaminoethylmethacrylic acid (DMAEMA) were respectively copolymerized with hydroxyethylmethacrylate (HEMA), the building block monomer of the hydrogel via UV-initiated photopolymerization. Opal templating and subsequent template removal enabled the fabrication of four inverse opal (IO) hydrogel colorimetric sensors, which responded to pH in different fashions. pH-dependent swelling of the IO hydrogel induced the red-shift of the diffracted color. The sensors containing AA or VPA, the proton donating monomers showed the color shifts from green to red with pH increase due to the increased concentration of carboxylate anions bound to the hydrogel. Diprotic VPA sensor exhibited two-step increases of diffracted wavelengths at its pK a1 and pK a2 respectively. The sensors containing proton acceptors, VI and DMAEMA showed the pH-dependent color changes in an opposite way to the AA sensor and the VPA sensor since their ionizations take place by lowering pH due to the protonation at the amino groups. The shapes of pH response curves of VI and DMAEMA sensors were similar but pK b s were different from each other. Optical diffraction responses of four sensors were compared with the calculated concentration ratios of the ionized species to the total monomer with pH variation, and a deswelling effect in the

  20. Synthesis of PVA Hydrogel for Prosthetic Discus Nucleus Pulposus: Formation of Interpenetrating Polymer Network (IPN) PVA Hydrogel by Gamma Rays

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Darwis, Darmawan; Erizal; Lely Hardiningsih; Razzak, Mirzan T.

    2004-01-01

    Research on synthesis of IPN PVA hydrogel for using as prosthetic discus nucleus has been carried out. Base hydrogel network (network I) was made by reacting the solution of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) 10 - 15 % w/w with formaldehyde at 80 o C for several hours. Hydrogel network II (as IPN network) was then made by immersion of base hydrogel into polymer solution (PVP or PVA) until hydrogel swell to equilibrium volume. The hydrogel then irradiated using gamma rays at various doses. The results show that IPN PVA-PVP and IPN PVA-PVP hydrogels have higher compression strength compared to base hydrogel. IPN PVA-PVA hydrogel made by irradiating base hydrogel (immersed into polymer solution) with 25, 50 and 100 kGy have compression strength at 5 mm displacement 2.72; 2.83; and 3.25 kg/cm 2 respectively, While base hydrogel has compression strength of 1.75 kg/cm 2 . IPN PVA-PVP and PVA-PVA hydrogels made by irradiating base hydrogel with 100 kGy still retain high water content i.e. 72 and 74 % respectively. Beside that they show good re-absorption property after compression treatment that is hydrogel can return to the original shape after compressed to 12 mm displacement (80% of initial height on hydrogel) at relatively short time, less than 15 minutes. (author)

  1. Synthesis, Characterization, and Acute Oral Toxicity Evaluation of pH-Sensitive Hydrogel Based on MPEG, Poly(ε-caprolactone, and Itaconic Acid

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Liwei Tan

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available A kind of chemically cross-linked pH-sensitive hydrogels based on methoxyl poly(ethylene glycol-poly(caprolactone-acryloyl chloride (MPEG-PCL-AC, PECA, poly(ethylene glycol methyl ether methacrylate (MPEGMA, MEG, N,N-methylenebisacrylamide (BIS, and itaconic acid (IA were prepared without using any organic solvent by heat-initiated free radical method. The obtained macromonomers and hydrogels were characterized by 1H NMR and FT-IR, respectively. Morphology study of hydrogels was also investigated in this paper, and it showed that the hydrogels had good pH-sensitivity. The acute toxicity test and histopathological study were conducted in BALB/c mice. The results indicated that the maximum tolerance dose of the hydrogel was higher than 10000 mg/kg body weight. No morality or signs of toxicity were observed during the whole 7-day observation period. Compared to the control groups, there were no important adverse effects in the variables of hematology routine test and serum chemistry analysis both in male or female treatment group. Histopathological study also did not show any significant lesions, including heart, liver, lung, spleen, kidney, stomach, intestine, and testis. All the results demonstrated that this hydrogel was nontoxic after gavage. Thus, the hydrogel might be the biocompatible potential candidate for oral drug delivery system.

  2. Effect of maleic acid content on the thermal stability, swelling behaviour and network structure of gelatin-based hydrogels prepared by gamma irradiation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Eid, M. [National Center For Radiation Research and Technology, P.O. Box 29, Nasr City, Cairo 11731 (Egypt)], E-mail: mona_eid2000@yahoo.com; Abdel-Ghaffar, M.A. [National Research Center, Dokki, Cairo (Egypt); Dessouki, A.M. [National Center For Radiation Research and Technology, P.O. Box 29, Nasr City, Cairo 11731 (Egypt)

    2009-01-15

    The highly swelling Poly (acrylamide/maleic acid/gelatin) P(AAm/MA/G) hydrogels were prepared by gamma-irradiation at low dose rate (0.94 kGy/h) and moderate dose rate (3.84 kGy/h). The hydrogels were confirmed by FTIR. The effect of copolymer composition, dose and dose rate on the swelling behaviour was discussed. Increasing of MA content and G in the initial mixture leads to an increase in the amount of MA and G in the gel system and decrease in the gelation %. The swelling behaviours of the hydrogel prepared at moderate dose rate increased with increasing MA mole content in the gel system but, there is no systematic dependence of swelling on MA content was observed for the hydrogels obtained at low dose rate. Pore structure of the hydrogels was monitored by using scanning electron microscopy. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and the rate of the thermal decomposition of P(AAm/MA/G) hydrogels has been evaluated to give a better understanding of the thermal stability of polymers, The X-ray data of P(AAm/MA/G) hydrogels was discussed to investigate some features namely the degree of ordering and crystallite size.

  3. Synthesis and properties of hemicelluloses-based semi-IPN hydrogels.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peng, Feng; Guan, Ying; Zhang, Bing; Bian, Jing; Ren, Jun-Li; Yao, Chun-Li; Sun, Run-Cang

    2014-04-01

    Hemicelluloses were extracted from holocellulose of bamboo by alkaline treatment. The phosphorylated poly(vinyl alcohol) (P-PVA) samples with various substitution degrees were prepared through the esterification of PVA and phosphoric acid. A series of hydrogels of semi-interpenetrating polymeric networks (semi-IPN) composed of hemicelluloses-g-poly(acrylic acid) (HM-g-PAA) and the phosphorylated poly(vinyl alcohol) (P-PVA) were prepared by radical polymerization using potassium persulphate (KPS) as initiator. The HM-g-PAA networks were crosslinked by N,N-methylenebisacrylamide (MBA) as a crosslinking agent in the presence of linear P-PVA. FT-IR results confirmed that the hydrogels comprised a porous crosslink structure of P-PVA and HM with side chains that carried carboxylate and phosphorylate groups. SEM observations indicated that the incorporation of P-PVA induced highly porous structure, and P-PVA was uniformly dispersed in the polymeric network. The interior network structures of the semi-IPN matrix became more porous with increasing P-PVA. The TGA results showed that the thermo-decomposing temperature and thermal stability were increased effectively for intruding the chain of P-PVA. The maximum equilibrium swelling ratio of hydrogels in distilled water and 0.9 wt% sodium chloride solutions was up to 1085 g g(-1) and 87 g g(-1), respectively. The compressive strength increased with increasing the MBA/HM and P-PVA/HM ratios, and decreased with the increment of AA/HM ratio. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. Radiation-induced synthesis and swelling properties of p(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate/itaconic acid/oligo (ethylene glycol) acrylate) terpolymeric hydrogels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Micic, M.; Stamenic, D.; Suljovrujic, E.

    2012-01-01

    Since it is presumed that by incorporation of pH-responsive (IA) and temperature-responsive (OEGA) co-monomers, it is possible to prepare P(HEMA/IA/OEGA) hydrogels with dual (pH and thermo) responsiveness, the main purpose of our study is to investigate the influence of different mole fractions of IA and especially OEGA on the diversity of the swelling properties of the obtained hydrogels. For that reason, a series of terpolymeric hydrogels with different mole ratios of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA), itaconic acid (IA) and oligo(ethylene glycol) acrylates (OEGA) was synthesised by gamma radiation. The obtained hydrogels were characterised by swelling studies in the wide pH (2.2–9.0) and temperature range (20–70 °C), confirming dual (pH and thermo) responsiveness and a large variation in the swelling capability. It was observed that the equilibrium swelling of P(HEMA/IA/OEGA) hydrogels, for a constant amount of IA, increased progressively with an increase in OEGA share. On the other hand, the dissociation of carboxyl groups from IA occurs at pH>4; therefore, small mole fractions of IA render good pH sensitivity and a large increase in the swelling capacity of these hydrogels at higher pH values. Additional characterisation of structure and properties was conducted by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and mechanical measurements, confirming that the inherent properties of P(HEMA/IA/OEGA) hydrogels can be significantly tuned by variation in their composition. According to all presented, it seems that the obtained hydrogels can be a beneficial synergetic combination for controlled delivery of bioactive molecules such as drugs, peptides, proteins, etc. - Highlights: ► pH- and thermo-sensitive P(HEMA/IA/OEGA) hydrogels were synthesised by γ radiation. ► OEGA units have a large hydrophilic potential. ► Swelling capacity increases with the OEGA content. ► Variation in composition of hydrogels can give

  5. Hydrogels Prepared from Cross-Linked Nanofibrillated Cellulose

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sandeep S. Nair; J.Y. Zhu; Yulin Deng; Arthur J. Ragauskas

    2014-01-01

    Nanocomposite hydrogels were developed by cross-linking nanofibrillated cellulose with poly(methyl vinyl ether-co-maleic acid) and polyethylene glycol. The cross-linked hydrogels showed enhanced water absorption and gel content with the addition of nanocellulose. In addition, the thermal stability, mechanical strength, and modulus increased with an increase in the...

  6. Double printing of hyaluronic acid/poly(glycidol) hybrid hydrogels with poly(ϵ-caprolactone) for MSC chondrogenesis

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Stichler, Simone; Böck, Thomas; Paxton, Naomi; Bertlein, Sarah; Levato, Riccardo; Schill, Verena; Smolan, Willi; Malda, Jos; Teßmar, Jörg; Blunk, Torsten; Groll, Jürgen

    2017-01-01

    This study investigates the use of allyl-functionalized poly(glycidol)s (P(AGE-co-G)) as a cytocompatible cross-linker for thiol-functionalized hyaluronic acid (HA-SH) and the optimization of this hybrid hydrogel as bioink for 3D bioprinting. The chemical cross-linking of gels with 10 wt.% overall

  7. Biodegradable and thermosensitive monomethoxy poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(lactic acid) hydrogel as a barrier for prevention of post-operative abdominal adhesion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fu, Shao Zhi; Li, Zhi; Fan, Jun Ming; Meng, Xiao Hang; Shi, Kun; Qu, Ying; Yang, Ling Lin; Wu, Jing Bo; Fan, Juan; Luot, Feng; Qian, Zhi Yong

    2014-03-01

    Post-operative peritoneal adhesions are serious consequences of abdominal or pelvic surgery and cause severe bowel obstruction, chronic pelvic pain and infertility. In this study, a novel nano-hydrogel system based on a monomethoxy poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(lactic acid) (MPEG-PLA) di-block copolymer was studied for its ability to prevent abdominal adhesion in rats. The MPEG-PLA hydrogel at a concentration of 40% (w/v) was injected and was able to adhere to defect sites at body temperature. The ability of the hydrogel to inhibit adhesion of post-operative tissues was evaluated by utilizing a rat model of abdominal sidewall-cecum abrasion. It was possible to heal wounded tissue through regeneration of neo-peritoneal tissues ten days after surgery. Our data showed that this hydrogel system is equally as effective as current commercialized anti-adhesive products.

  8. Role of superporous hydrogel particles as a superdisintegrant in fast disintegrating tablet of Glipizide

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hitesh V Chavda

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: Superporous hydrogel (SPH swells very rapidly in a shorter period of time to an equilibrium size and contains highly porous structure. The literature survey reflects the preparation of SPHs and its composite, but its application as an excipient in a drug delivery system is not well focused. Aim: Efforts were made to develop fast disintegrating tablets of Glipizide using superporous hydrogel particles (SPHPs as a wicking agent, which act as a superdisintegrant to decrease disintegration time. Materials and Methods: The SPH of poly (acrylamide-co-acrylic acid was prepared by solution polymerization and characterized. Prepared tablets were evaluated for concerned parameters. Formulation optimization was carried out using 3 2 full factorial design and analysis of variance. Results: Scanning electron microscopy pictures clearly confirmed the superporous structure of hydrogel. Batch F 4 containing 4% w/w of SPH of poly (acrylamide-co-acrylic acid as a superdisintegrant showed extremely fast wicking effect and lesser disintegration time compared with other potential superdisintegrants. Drug release was good compared with conventional immediate release marketed product. Conclusion: It can be concluded that SPHPs can be used as a potential superdisintegrant in tablet formulation.

  9. Physicochemical and Antibacterial Properties of Carrageenan and Gelatine Hydrosols and Hydrogels Incorporated with Acidic Electrolyzed Water

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ewa Brychcy

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available The article focuses on investigation of the effects of usage of acidic electrolyzed water (AEW with different sodium chloride concentration (0.001%, 0.01%, and 0.1% for the preparation of carrageenan and gelatine hydrosols and hydrogels. To determine physiochemical properties of hydrosols, the pH, oxidation-reduction potential (ORP, available chloride concentration (ACC and rheological parameters such us gelation and flow temperatures were measured. The samples were also characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT IR and texture profile analysis (TPA. Additionally, the article contains an analysis of antibacterial activity of carrageenan and gelatine hydrosols incorporated with acidic electrolyzed water, against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. The FT IR spectra demonstrated that the structure of gelatine and carrageenan are not significantly affected by electrolyzed NaCl solution components. Furthermore, TPA analysis showed that the use of AEW did not cause undesirable changes in hydrogels layer. The microbiological analysis confirmed inhibition of bacterial growth by hydrosols to about 2.10 log reduction. The results showed that the range of reduction of microorganisms depends on the type AEW used. This might be explained by the fact that the lowest pH and the highest ACC values of hydrosols were obtained for samples with the longest period of exposure to electrolysis (10 min and the highest amount of NaCl (0.1% w/v. These results suggest that hydrogels and hydrosols incorporated with AEW may be used for food preservation.

  10. Effect of Acid Hydrolysis and Thermal Hydrolysis on Solubility and Properties of Oil Palm Empty Fruit Bunch Fiber Cellulose Hydrogel

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sinyee Gan

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available Cellulose hydrogel was produced from pretreated oil palm empty fruit bunch fiber (EFB that went through acid hydrolysis and thermal hydrolysis. The pretreated EFB was dissolved in LiOH/urea aqueous solution using the rapid dissolution method and was subjected to a crosslinking process with the aid of epichlorohydrin to form hydrogel. The effects of both hydrolyses’ time on average molecular weight (Mŋ, solubility, and properties of EFB hydrogels were evaluated. Both hydrolyses led to lower Mŋ, lower crystallinity index (CrI and hence, resulted in higher cellulose solubility. X-ray diffraction (XRD characterization revealed the CrI and transition of crystalline structure of EFB from cellulose I to II. The effects of hydrolysis time on the transparency, degree of swelling (DS, and morphology of the regenerated cellulose hydrogel were also investigated using an ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis spectrophotometer and a Field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM, respectively. These findings provide an efficient method to improve the solubility and properties of regenerated cellulose products.

  11. Alginate hydrogel as a potential alternative to hyaluronic acid as submucosal injection material.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kang, Ki Joo; Min, Byung-Hoon; Lee, Jun Haeng; Kim, Eun Ran; Sung, Chang Ohk; Cho, Joo Young; Seo, Soo Won; Kim, Jae J

    2013-06-01

    Sodium alginate is currently used in medical products, including drugs and cosmetic materials. It can also be used as a submucosal injection material due to its excellent water retention ability. Alginate with a high water retention ability is called alginate hydrogel (AH). The aim of this study was to investigate the usefulness of AH as a submucosal injection material. To investigate the optimal viscosity of AH as a submucosal injection material, we observed the changes in submucosal height from the initial submucosal height in the stomachs of six miniature pigs for each injection material tested (0.3 % AH, 0.5 % hyaluronic acid, glycerol). All submucosal heights were compared serially over time (3, 5, 10, 20, and 30 min). Both immediate and 1-week delayed tissue reactions were investigated endoscopically in the same living pigs. Histological analyses were performed after the animals had been sacrificed. In a preliminary study, we determined that 0.3 % sodium alginate mixed with BaCl2 (400 μl) was the optimal viscosity of AH as an injection material. Our comparison of submucosal height changes over time showed that there was a significant decrease in submucosal height just 3 min following the injection of hyaluronic acid and glycerol, but that following the injection of AH a significant decrease in submucosal height was observed only after 10 min (p injection site. Alginate hydrogel demonstrated long-lasting maintenance of submucosal elevation, safety, and cost-effectiveness in a pig model, which makes it a potential alternative to hyaluronic acid.

  12. Progress in lignin hydrogels and nanocomposites for water purification

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Tamulevicius, Sigitas; Thakur, Sourbh; Govender, Penny P.

    2017-01-01

    -based hydrogels have shown excellent performance for removal of various pollutants from water. The adsorption properties of lignin based hydrogels can further be improved by using a combination of nanomaterials and lignin that results in promising hydrogel nanocomposites. In nature, the most abundant structures...... are formed by the combination of lignin, cellulose and hemicelluloses. In this article, we have attempted to comprehensively review the research work carried out in the direction of usage of lignin-based hydrogel for removal of toxic pollutants including metal ions and dyes....

  13. Degradation of chitosan hydrogel dispersed in dilute carboxylic acids by solution plasma and evaluation of anticancer activity of degraded products

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chokradjaroen, Chayanaphat; Rujiravanit, Ratana; Theeramunkong, Sewan; Saito, Nagahiro

    2018-01-01

    Chitosan is a polysaccharide that has been extensively studied in the field of biomedicine, especially its water-soluble degraded products called chitooligosaccharides (COS). In this study, COS were produced by the degradation of chitosan hydrogel dispersed in a dilute solution (i.e., 1.55 mM) of various kinds of carboxylic acids using a non-thermal plasma technology called solution plasma (SP). The degradation rates of chitosan were influenced by the type of carboxylic acids, depending on the interaction between chitosan and each carboxylic acid. After SP treatment, the water-soluble degraded products containing COS could be easily separated from the water-insoluble residue of chitosan hydrogel by centrifugation. The production yields of the COS were mostly higher than 55%. Furthermore, the obtained COS products were evaluated for their inhibitory effect as well as their selectivity against human lung cancer cells (H460) and human lung normal cells (MRC-5).

  14. Chitosan-containing hydrogel wound dressings prepared by radiation technique

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mozalewska, Wiktoria; Czechowska-Biskup, Renata; Olejnik, Alicja K.; Wach, Radoslaw A.; Ulański, Piotr; Rosiak, Janusz M.

    2017-01-01

    The aim of the study was to develop an antimicrobial hydrogel wound dressing by means of radiation-initiated crosslinking of hydrophilic polymers, i.e. by well-established technology comprising gel manufacturing and its sterilization in one process. The approach included admixture of chitosan of relatively low molecular weight dissolved in lactic acid (LA) into the initial regular components of the conventional hydrogel dressing based on poly(N-vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP) and agar. Molecular weight of chitosan was regulated by radiation-initiated degradation in the range of 39–132 kg mol −1 . Optimum total concentration of LA in the resultant hydrogel dressing was evaluated as 0.05 mol dm −3 , that is ca. 0.5%. Presence of LA in the system influenced essential radiation and technological parameters of hydrogel manufacturing. The setting temperature of the pre-hydrogel mixture, resulting from agar ability to congeal, was reduced with LA concentration, yet remained significantly above the room temperature. 0.5% of chitosan was effectively dissolved in aqueous solution of lactic acid due to its pH (lower than 5.5). Radiation parameters of PVP crosslinking in the presence of LA, as determined with generalized Charlesby–Pinner equation, were reflected in slight reduction of the maximum gel fraction and increase in gelation dose and in the factor comparing yields of scission to crosslinking. Nevertheless, essentially physical characteristics of the hydrogel was not affected, except for somewhat increased water uptake capacity, what in turn improves functionality of the dressing as extensive exudate for the wound can be efficiently absorbed. Preliminary microbiological studies showed antimicrobial character of the chitosan-containing hydrogel towards Gram-positive bacterial strain. - Highlights: • Radiation synthesis of bioactive hydrogel wound dressing based on PVP. • Sol-gel analysis, radiation yield of crosslinking and degradation, gel fraction.

  15. The study of polymeric hydro-gels with unique properties obtained by polymerization with gamma radiation processing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dragusin, M.

    1995-01-01

    This thesis presents the work carried out on polymeric hydro-gels obtained by radiation processing using 60 Co gamma rays from the irradiation facility IETI-10.000 (10 k Ci), and on the polymeric hydro-gels obtained by irradiation with the electron beams from a linear accelerator (6 MeV). The aim of the study was to determine the effect of the rate dose and total dose absorbed in the materials. There are presented the preparation methods of homo- and co-polymer hydro-gels (acrylics, namely anionic and neutral monomers (acrylamide, acrylic acid, vinyl acetate) and cationic monomers (di-methyl di-allyl ammonium chloride)) such as floculants, additives, absorbers, etc. Concerning with these we have analysed the preparation methods, the mechanical, thermal, diffusivity, and swelling properties of polymeric hydro-gels in a large variety of gels of type I or II. The technological aspects and end use were studied in connection with the characteristics of the radiation processing of these hydro-gels as a function of chemical composition rate and absorbed dose, swelling degree (low and very high hydro-soluble), mechanical and diffusional properties. (author) 33 figs., 12 tabs., 101 refs

  16. Lima Bean Starch-Based Hydrogels | Oladebeye | Nigerian Journal ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Hydrogels were prepared by crosslinking native lima bean starch and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) with glutaraldehyde (GA) at varying proportions in an acidic medium. The native starch (N-LBS) and hydrogels (L-GA (low glutaraldehyde) and H-GA (high glutaraldehyde)) were examined for their water absorption capacity (WAC) ...

  17. Characterization of alginate-brushite in-situ hydrogel composites

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Dabiri, Seyed Mohammad Hossein [Department of Informatics, Bioengineering, Robotics, and System Engineering, University of Genoa, Genoa (Italy); Lagazzo, Alberto; Barberis, Fabrizio [Department of Civil, Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of Genoa, Genoa (Italy); Farokhi, Mehdi [National Cell Bank of Iran, Pasteur Institute of Iran, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Finochio, Elisabetta [Department of Civil, Chemical and Environmental Engineering, University of Genoa, Genoa (Italy); Pastorino, Laura [Department of Informatics, Bioengineering, Robotics, and System Engineering, University of Genoa, Genoa (Italy)

    2016-10-01

    In the present study alginate-brushite composite hydrogels were in-situ synthetized and characterized with respect to preparation parameters. Specifically, the influence of initial pH value and initial concentration of phosphate precursor on the in-situ fabrication of the composite hydrogel were taken into account. The composite hydrogels were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), thermogravimetric (TGA, DTG) and differential thermal analysis (DTA). Finally, the cell viability tests were carried out (MTT) over the incubation time period of 3, 7, and 14 days. The results revealed that the formation and the crystalline stability of brushite were highly dependent on the initial pH value. It was shown that as the pH reached to the value of 6, characteristics peaks of brushite appeared in the FTIR spectra. Besides, the XRD and thermal analysis results were in a good accordance with those of FTIR. In addition, the SEM images demonstrated that the plate like brushite was formed inside the alginate matrix. Also, a considerable impact of pH variation on the biocompatibility of samples was noticed so that the majority of samples especially those prepared in the acidic conditions were toxic. - Highlights: • Alginate-brushite hydrogel composites were obtained through an in-situ process • The brushite crystals started forming at pH value of 6 • The increase in the initial concentration of phosphate precursor resulted in more crystalline structure • Samples prepared at pH value of 8 had the most stable crystalline structure • Brushite crystals promoted the biocompatibility of alginate.

  18. Recombinant human serum albumin hydrogel as a novel drug delivery vehicle

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hirose, Masaaki; Tachibana, Akira; Tanabe, Toshizumi

    2010-01-01

    Serum albumin acts as a physiological carrier for various compounds including drugs. A hydrogel consisting of recombinant human serum albumin (rHSA) was prepared to take advantage of drug binding ability of albumin for a sustained drug release carrier. The hydrogel was prepared by mixing rHSA and dithiothreitol and casted to a polystyrene mold. Hydrogel formation was thought to occur through the intermolecular interaction of the hydrophobic groups by protein denaturation. The release of sodium benzoate and salicylic acid from the hydrogel completed in 2 h, while warfarin release continued for 24 h. The total amounts of the drugs released from 100 mg of 15 and 5% rHSA hydrogel were 2.3 and 1.4 μmol for warfarin, 1.4 and 1.1 μmol for salicylic acid and 0.9 and 0.9 μmol for sodium benzoate. These results reflected the order of the binding ability of drugs for intact albumin indicating that the drug binding ability of HSA still remained after the hydrogel formation. However, fibroblast cells attached and proliferated well on the hydrogel, indicating that denaturation of rHSA proceeded to the extent to allow the cell attachment. The present rHSA hydrogel might be suitable for a sustained release carrier of drugs having affinity for albumin.

  19. Recombinant human serum albumin hydrogel as a novel drug delivery vehicle

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hirose, Masaaki, E-mail: Hirose.Masaaki@mh.mt-pharma.co.jp [Advanced Medical Research Laboratory, Research Division, Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma Corporation, 3-16-89 Kashima, Yodogawa-ku, Osaka 532-8505 (Japan); Department of Applied Chemistry and Bioengineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka City University, 3-3-138 Sugimoto, Sumiyoshi-ku, Osaka 558-8585 (Japan); Tachibana, Akira; Tanabe, Toshizumi [Department of Applied Chemistry and Bioengineering, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka City University, 3-3-138 Sugimoto, Sumiyoshi-ku, Osaka 558-8585 (Japan)

    2010-06-15

    Serum albumin acts as a physiological carrier for various compounds including drugs. A hydrogel consisting of recombinant human serum albumin (rHSA) was prepared to take advantage of drug binding ability of albumin for a sustained drug release carrier. The hydrogel was prepared by mixing rHSA and dithiothreitol and casted to a polystyrene mold. Hydrogel formation was thought to occur through the intermolecular interaction of the hydrophobic groups by protein denaturation. The release of sodium benzoate and salicylic acid from the hydrogel completed in 2 h, while warfarin release continued for 24 h. The total amounts of the drugs released from 100 mg of 15 and 5% rHSA hydrogel were 2.3 and 1.4 {mu}mol for warfarin, 1.4 and 1.1 {mu}mol for salicylic acid and 0.9 and 0.9 {mu}mol for sodium benzoate. These results reflected the order of the binding ability of drugs for intact albumin indicating that the drug binding ability of HSA still remained after the hydrogel formation. However, fibroblast cells attached and proliferated well on the hydrogel, indicating that denaturation of rHSA proceeded to the extent to allow the cell attachment. The present rHSA hydrogel might be suitable for a sustained release carrier of drugs having affinity for albumin.

  20. initiated small intestinal sub-mucosal wound-healing hydrogel

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    In vitro cell culture was carried out on the hydrogels, and cell count was obtained on ... a crucial role in stem cell differentiation. ... biodegradable material, especially in tissue engineering [10,11]. .... The test procedures used were based on the method of ..... responsive hydrogels for controlled drug release. Polymer. 2009 ...

  1. Hydroxyethyl cellulose hydrogel for wound dressing: Fabrication, characterization and in vitro evaluation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    El Fawal, Gomaa F; Abu-Serie, Marwa M; Hassan, Mohamed A; Elnouby, Mohamed S

    2018-05-01

    In this study, new hydrogel membranes were developed based on hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC) supplemented with tungsten oxide for further implementing in wound treatment. HEC hydrogel membranes were fabricated and crosslinked using citric acid (CA). Various tests were carried out including FTIR, XRD, porosity measurements, swelling, mechanical properties, gel fraction, and thermal gravimetric analysis to evaluate the efficiency of the prepared membranes as wound dressing material. In addition, wound healing activity of the examined membranes for human dermal fibroblast cell line was investigated employing in vitro scratching model. Furthermore, the potency of the prepared membranes to suppress wound complications was studied via determination of their anti-inflammatory and antibacterial activities exploiting MTT, ELISA, and disk agar diffusion methods. The results demonstrated that the HEC hydrogel membranes revealed an anti-inflammatory and antibacterial efficacy. Moreover, HEC improved the safety of tungsten oxide toward normal human cells (white blood cells and dermal fibroblast). Furthermore, HEC membranes loaded with WO 3 revealed the highest activities against Salmonella sp. pursued by P. aeruginosa in compared with the negative HEC hydrogel membrane. The current approach corroborated that HEC amended by tungsten oxide could be applied as a promising safe candidate for wound dressing material. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  2. Structural and behavioral characteristics of radiolytically synthesized polyacrylic acid–polyacrylonitrile copolymeric hydrogels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bera, Anuradha; Misra, R.K.; Singh, Shailendra K.

    2013-01-01

    Copolymeric hydrogels of polyacrylic acid (PAA) – polyacrylonitrile (PAN) was radiolytically synthesized from their respective monomers with trimethyloltrimethacrylate (TMPTMA) as the crosslinker wherein both polymerization and crosslinking could be achieved in a single step reaction using 60 Co γ-radiation under varying doses and dose rates. The formation of the hydrogels was confirmed by their FT-IR analysis, while their thermal degradation patterns were investigated through thermogravimetric analysis in both the dry and swelled state. The water sorption studies showed rapid swelling behavior of these hydrogels, where swelling (%EWC) was found to be strongly dependent on the ratio of the two monomers in the hydrogels and the swelling kinetics dependent on the dose rates of hydrogel synthesis. These radiolytically synthesized hydrogels responded to electrical stimulus both in terms of the bending speed as well as bending angle under an applied voltage. The nature of the deformation was reversible and can be controlled through switching the voltage on and off. - Highlights: • Polyacrylic acid – polyacrilonitrile copolymeric hydrogel has been radiolytically synthesized. • Trimethyloltrimethacrylate (TMPTMA) used as crosslinker. • Hydrogel has been characterized and tested for electroresponsive character. • Bending angles and bending speed were found dependent upon applied voltage

  3. Effect of cartilaginous matrix components on the chondrogenesis and hypertrophy of mesenchymal stem cells in hyaluronic acid hydrogels.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Meiling; Feng, Qian; Sun, Yuxin; Li, Gang; Bian, Liming

    2017-11-01

    The microenvironment of the extracellular matrix (ECM) plays a key role in directing the viability and subsequent differentiation of the encapsulated stem cells by the specific integration between the hydrated biomolecules and cell surface receptors. Herein, we developed a hydrogel platform based on hyaluronic acid (HA) that presents cartilage ECM molecules as a form of developmental cues. The hybrid hydrogels were generated by coupling photo-cross-linkable methacrylated HA (MeHA) with selected cartilaginous ECM molecules including chondroitin sulfate (CS) and type I collagen (Col I), and we studied the decoupled function of these cues in regulating the initial chondrogenesis, subsequent hypertrophy, and tissue mineralization by hMSCs. The results indicate upregulated mRNA expression of the chondrogenesis markers in the HA hydrogels that contain Col I or CS, and decreased expression of the hypertrophic markers compared with the control MeHA group. The quantification results also show that glycosaminoglycans accumulation increases in the hybrid hydrogels containing cartilaginous ECM molecules, both in vitro and in vivo. We hypothesize that these additional ECM components in the HA hydrogels further regulate the hMSCs chondrogenesis and hypertrophy by coordination. The understanding obtained in this study may guide biomaterial scaffold design, thereby facilitating manipulation of the differentiation and mineralization of induced hMSCs for application in the repair of different musculoskeletal defects. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 105B: 2292-2300, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  4. A peptidic hydrogel that may behave as a “Trojan Horse”

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nicola Castellucci

    2013-02-01

    Full Text Available A physical hydrogel prepared with the low-molecular-weight hydrogelator (LMWHG CH2(C3H6CO-L-Phe-D-Oxd-OH2 and water/ethanol mixture was applied as a potential “Trojan Horse” carrier into cells. By SEM and XRD analysis we could demonstrate that a fibrous structure is present in the xerogel, making a complex network. The gelator is derived from α-amino acids (Thr, Phe and a fatty acid (azelaic acid and is biocompatible: it was dosed to IGROV-1 cells, which internalized it, without significantly affecting the cell proliferation. To check the internalization process by confocal microscopy, fluorescent hydrogels were prepared, introducing the fluorescent dansyl moiety into the mixture.

  5. Swelling, Mechanics, and Thermal/Chemical Stability of Hydrogels Containing Phenylboronic Acid Side Chains

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Arum Kim

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available We report here studies of swelling, mechanics, and thermal stability of hydrogels consisting of 20 mol % methacrylamidophenylboronic acid (MPBA and 80 mol % acrylamide (AAm, lightly crosslinked with methylenebisacrylamide (Bis. Swelling was measured in solutions of fixed ionic strength, but with varying pH values and fructose concentrations. Mechanics was studied by compression and hold. In the absence of sugar or in the presence of fructose, the modulus was mostly maintained during the hold period, while a significant stress relaxation was seen in the presence of glucose, consistent with reversible, dynamic crosslinks provided by glucose, but not fructose. Thermal stability was determined by incubating hydrogels at pH 7.4 at room temperature, and 37, 50, and 65 °C, and monitoring swelling. In PBS (phosphate buffered saline solutions containing 9 mM fructose, swelling remained essentially complete for 50 days at room temperature, but decreased substantially with time at the higher temperatures, with accelerated reduction of swelling with increasing temperature. Controls indicated that over long time periods, both the MPBA and AAm units were experiencing conversion to different species.

  6. Dynamic behavior of acrylic acid clusters as quasi-mobile nodes in a model of hydrogel network

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zidek, Jan; Milchev, Andrey; Vilgis, Thomas A.

    2012-12-01

    Using a molecular dynamics simulation, we study the thermo-mechanical behavior of a model hydrogel subject to deformation and change in temperature. The model is found to describe qualitatively poly-lactide-glycolide hydrogels in which acrylic acid (AA)-groups are believed to play the role of quasi-mobile nodes in the formation of a network. From our extensive analysis of the structure, formation, and disintegration of the AA-groups, we are able to elucidate the relationship between structure and viscous-elastic behavior of the model hydrogel. Thus, in qualitative agreement with observations, we find a softening of the mechanical response at large deformations, which is enhanced by growing temperature. Several observables as the non-affinity parameter A and the network rearrangement parameter V indicate the existence of a (temperature-dependent) threshold degree of deformation beyond which the quasi-elastic response of the model system turns over into plastic (ductile) one. The critical stretching when the affinity of the deformation is lost can be clearly located in terms of A and V as well as by analysis of the energy density of the system. The observed stress-strain relationship matches that of known experimental systems.

  7. Manual of radiation processing of cassava starch hydrogel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Sonsuk, Manit

    2007-01-01

    The radiation processing of natural cassava starch (CS) is described for the improvement of its properties. A series of hydrogels were prepared from gelatinized CS and vinylpyrrolidone by radiation-induced graft copolymerization. Hydrogels were also synthesized from radiation-induced crosslinking of carboxymethyl CS. The optimum condition for the swelling ratio and gel fraction of the obtained hydrogels is irradiation at low dose. The polymeric chelating resins containing the hydroxamic acid groups were synthesized from the polymethyl acrylate (PMA)-grafted CS via gamma radiation. (M.H.)

  8. Biocompatibility of hyaluronic acid hydrogels prepared by porous hyaluronic acid microbeads

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Jin-Tae; Lee, Deuk Yong; Kim, Tae-Hyung; Song, Yo-Seung; Cho, Nam-Ihn

    2014-05-01

    Hyaluronic acid hydrogels (HAHs) were synthesized by immersing HA microbeads crosslinked with divinyl sulfone in a phosphate buffered saline solution to evaluate the biocompatibility of the gels by means of cytotoxicity, genotoxicity ( in vitro chromosome aberration test, reverse mutation assay, and in vivo micronucleus test), skin sensitization, and intradermal reactivity. The HAHs induced no cytotoxicity or genotoxicity. In guinea pigs treated with grafts and prostheses, no animals died and there were no abnormal clinical signs. The sensitization scores were zero in all guinea pigs after 24 h and 48 h challenge, suggesting that the HAHs had no contact allergic sensitization in the guinea pig maximization test. No abnormal signs were found in New Zealand White rabbits during the 72 h observation period after the injection. There was no difference between the HAHs and negative control mean scores because skin reaction such as erythema or oedema was not observed after injection. Experimental results suggest that the HAHs would be suitable for soft tissue augmentation due to the absence of cytotoxicity, genotoxicity, skin sensitization, and intradermal reactivity.

  9. Structure- Property Behavior of Poly (acrylic acid) Hydrogels Synthesized by Radiation Induced Polymerization

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nizam El-Din, H.M.M.; Ibrahim, M.S.

    2000-01-01

    Hydrogel containing hydroxyl group based on glycerol, ethylene glycol and acrylic monomer, have been prepared by using gamma radiation. The application of the prepared hydrogel for recovery of CU 2+ , Co 2+ , Ni 2+ , and Pb 2+ was also studied. The hydrogel for complexes with metals have been isolated and characterized by using different spectroscopic techniques IR and thermal analysis. TGA thermo grams were used to determine the kinetic parameters such as activation energy and order of reaction. The complexometric titration showed that the hydrogels have a great affinity to recover the metal ions in the following order Pb 2+ > Ni 2+ > Cu 2+ > Co 2+ . However the hydrogel containing glycerol has a great tendency towards metals recovery than than the one containing ethylene glycol

  10. Hydrogel Walkers with Electro-Driven Motility for Cargo Transport.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Chao; Wang, Wei; Yao, Chen; Xie, Rui; Ju, Xiao-Jie; Liu, Zhuang; Chu, Liang-Yin

    2015-08-28

    In this study, soft hydrogel walkers with electro-driven motility for cargo transport have been developed via a facile mould-assisted strategy. The hydrogel walkers consisting of polyanionic poly(2-acrylamido-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid-co-acrylamide) exhibit an arc looper-like shape with two "legs" for walking. The hydrogel walkers can reversibly bend and stretch via repeated "on/off" electro-triggers in electrolyte solution. Based on such bending/stretching behaviors, the hydrogel walkers can move their two "legs" to achieve one-directional walking motion on a rough surface via repeated "on/off" electro-triggering cycles. Moreover, the hydrogel walkers loaded with very heavy cargo also exhibit excellent walking motion for cargo transport. Such hydrogel systems create new opportunities for developing electro-controlled soft systems with simple design/fabrication strategies in the soft robotic field for remote manipulation and transportation.

  11. ph Sensitive hydrogel as colon specific drug delivery

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Alarifi, A.S.

    2011-01-01

    γ-radiation induced graft copolymerization and crosslinking was for the synthesis of ph-sensitive hydrogels composed of poly (vinyl pyrrolidone) acrylic acid. The prepared hydrogels were subjected to swelling test to evaluate the effects of ph and ionic strength of the surrounding solution. Drastic changes in the swelling parameters where observed by changing the surrounding solution ph values. The release of ibuprofen from hydrogels was monitored as a function of time at ph 1 and ph 7 in order to evaluate the prepared copolymer ability for colon- specific drug carrier uses.

  12. Development of a P((MAA-co-NVP)-g-EG) Hydrogel Platform for Oral Protein Delivery: Effects of Hydrogel Composition on Environmental Response and Protein Partitioning.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Steichen, Stephanie; O'Connor, Colleen; Peppas, Nicholas A

    2017-01-01

    Hydrogels based upon terpolymers of methacrylic acid, N-vinyl pyrrolidone, and poly(ethylene glycol) are developed and characterized for their ability to respond to changes in environmental pH and to partition protein therapeutics of varying molecular weights and isoelectric points. P((MAA-co-NVP)-g-EG) hydrogels are synthesized with PEG-based cross-linking agents of varying length and incorporation densities. The composition is confirmed using FT-IR spectroscopy and shows peak shifts indicating hydrogen bonding. Scanning electron microscopy reveals microparticles with an irregular, planar morphology. The pH-responsive behavior of the hydrogels is confirmed under equilibrium and dynamic conditions, with the hydrogel collapsed at acidic pH and swollen at neutral pH. The ability of the hydrogels to partition model protein therapeutics at varying pH and ionic strength is evaluated using three model proteins: insulin, porcine growth hormone, and ovalbumin. Finally, the microparticles are evaluated for adverse interactions with two model intestinal cell lines and show minimal cytotoxicity at concentrations below 5 mg mL -1 . © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  13. Supramolecular polyaniline hydrogel as a support for urease

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Słoniewska, Anna; Pałys, Barbara

    2014-01-01

    Supramolecular hydrogels of conducting polymers are successfully used in bioelectrochemistry because of their mechanical and swelling properties of gels added to the specific electron transport properties of conducting polymers. We have studied polyaniline-poly(styrene sulfonate) (PANI–PSS) hydrogel as a substrate for the urease. The hydrogels were synthesized at pH = 0 and pH = 5. PANI–PSS hydrogel is a supramolecular self-assembly material consisting of positively-charged PANI chains and negatively-charged PSS chains. The hydrogel was studied by cyclic voltammetry, infrared and Raman spectroscopy and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM). Raman spectra revealed presence of phenazine rings in the hydrogel structure. Phenazine rings form covalent cross-linkers contributing to the hydrogel mechanical stability. The covalent cross-linkers influence the cyclic voltammetry responses of the hydrogel in acidic media. We tested the activity of urease immobilized in the PANI–PSS hydrogel by the physical adsorption or by the covalent bonding with the carbodiimide reaction. The enzyme immobilized in hydrogels prepared at higher pH value reveals significantly higher sensitivity. The method of the enzyme immobilization has smaller impact on the sensitivity. All hydrogel sensors reveal largely higher sensitivity to urea comparing to urease immobilized in the typical electrochemically deposited PANI films. The sensitivity of urease covalently bond to the hydrogel obtained at pH = 5 was as high as 1693 μA/(mol dm 3 ). The sensor response was linear in the urea concentration range from 10 −4 to 7 × 10 −2 mol/dm 3

  14. Study On The Application Of Hydrogel Prepared By Radiation Technique For Fermentation Of Sawdust

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Le Thuy Trang; Nguyen Huynh Phuong Uyen; Vo Thu Ha; Le Quang Luan

    2011-01-01

    The super water-adsorption hydrogels was successfully preparation by radiation crosslinking CMC in paste condition and radiation grafting acrylic acid into starch. The hydrogel with 76.36% gel fraction and 91.13% swelling degree were obtained by irradiation of CMC 20% at 20 kGy, while the hydrogel with 65.3% gel fraction and 234 swelling degree was acrylic acid and starch at 4 kGy. The supplementation of hydrogels prepared by radiation technique showed a higher cellulose degradation effect of waste of cattle after fermenting 30 and 45 days. The optimum condition was determined by mixing 1% (w/w) dried hydrogel in 99% (w/w) waste of cattle. The fermented sawdust using hydrogel prepared by radiation technique showed a better effect on the growth of F1 Chinese cabbage (Brassica Pe-tsai Bailey L.). (author)

  15. Thermosensitive copolymeric hydrogels with the regulated temperature of a phase transition

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Samchenko, Yu.M.; Konovalova, V.V.; Korotich, E.I.; Poltoratskaya, T.P.; Pobegaj, A.A.; Burban, A.F.; Ul'berg, Z.R.; Samchenko, Yu.M.; Konovalova, V.V.; Korotich, E.I.; Poltoratskaya, T.P.; Pobegaj, A.A.; Burban, A.F.; Ul'berg, Z.R.

    2011-01-01

    The work is devoted to the methods of obtaining the thermosensitive copolymeric hydrogels based on the NIPAAm with acrylic acid and its derivatives such as acrylamide, acrylonitrile, and methylacrylate. The mechanisms of thermoinitiated phase transitions in hydrogel matrices and the regularities of the thermoinitiated release of model compounds and drugs (aniline, novocaine, and sodium diclofenac) from copolymeric hydrogel are investigated.

  16. Chitosan–Cellulose Multifunctional Hydrogel Beads: Design, Characterization and Evaluation of Cytocompatibility with Breast Adenocarcinoma and Osteoblast Cells

    Science.gov (United States)

    Trivedi, Poonam; Saloranta-Simell, Tiina; Gradišnik, Lidija; Prabhakar, Neeraj; Smått, Jan-Henrik; Mohan, Tamilselvan; Gericke, Martin; Heinze, Thomas

    2018-01-01

    Cytocompatible polysaccharide-based functional scaffolds are potential extracellular matrix candidates for soft and hard tissue engineering. This paper describes a facile approach to design cytocompatible, non-toxic, and multifunctional chitosan-cellulose based hydrogel beads utilising polysaccharide dissolution in sodium hydroxide-urea-water solvent system and coagulation under three different acidic conditions, namely 2 M acetic acid, 2 M hydrochloric acid, and 2 M sulfuric acid. The effect of coagulating medium on the final chemical composition of the hydrogel beads is investigated by spectroscopic techniques (ATR–FTIR, Raman, NMR), and elemental analysis. The beads coagulated in 2 M acetic acid displayed an unchanged chitosan composition with free amino groups, while the beads coagulated in 2 M hydrochloric and sulfuric acid showed protonation of amino groups and ionic interaction with the counterions. The ultrastructural morphological study of lyophilized beads showed that increased chitosan content enhanced the porosity of the hydrogel beads. Furthermore, cytocompatibility evaluation of the hydrogel beads with human breast adenocarcinoma cells (soft tissue) showed that the beads coagulated in 2 M acetic acid are the most suitable for this type of cells in comparison to other coagulating systems. The acetic acid fabricated hydrogel beads also support osteoblast growth and adhesion over 192 h. Thus, in future, these hydrogel beads can be tested in the in vitro studies related to breast cancer and for bone regeneration. PMID:29315214

  17. Chitosan-Cellulose Multifunctional Hydrogel Beads: Design, Characterization and Evaluation of Cytocompatibility with Breast Adenocarcinoma and Osteoblast Cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Trivedi, Poonam; Saloranta-Simell, Tiina; Maver, Uroš; Gradišnik, Lidija; Prabhakar, Neeraj; Smått, Jan-Henrik; Mohan, Tamilselvan; Gericke, Martin; Heinze, Thomas; Fardim, Pedro

    2018-01-09

    Cytocompatible polysaccharide-based functional scaffolds are potential extracellular matrix candidates for soft and hard tissue engineering. This paper describes a facile approach to design cytocompatible, non-toxic, and multifunctional chitosan-cellulose based hydrogel beads utilising polysaccharide dissolution in sodium hydroxide-urea-water solvent system and coagulation under three different acidic conditions, namely 2 M acetic acid, 2 M hydrochloric acid, and 2 M sulfuric acid. The effect of coagulating medium on the final chemical composition of the hydrogel beads is investigated by spectroscopic techniques (ATR-FTIR, Raman, NMR), and elemental analysis. The beads coagulated in 2 M acetic acid displayed an unchanged chitosan composition with free amino groups, while the beads coagulated in 2 M hydrochloric and sulfuric acid showed protonation of amino groups and ionic interaction with the counterions. The ultrastructural morphological study of lyophilized beads showed that increased chitosan content enhanced the porosity of the hydrogel beads. Furthermore, cytocompatibility evaluation of the hydrogel beads with human breast adenocarcinoma cells (soft tissue) showed that the beads coagulated in 2 M acetic acid are the most suitable for this type of cells in comparison to other coagulating systems. The acetic acid fabricated hydrogel beads also support osteoblast growth and adhesion over 192 h. Thus, in future, these hydrogel beads can be tested in the in vitro studies related to breast cancer and for bone regeneration.

  18. Peptide based hydrogels for bone tissue engineering

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ranny, H.R.; Schneider, J.P.

    2007-01-01

    Peptide hydrogels are potentially ideal scaffolds for tissue repair and regeneration due to their ability to mimic natural extra cellular matrix. The 20 amino acid peptide HPL8 (H2N- VKVKVKVKVDPP TKVKVKVKV-CONH2), has been shown to fold and self-assemble into a rigid hydrogel based on Environmental cues such as pH, salt, and temperature. Due to its environmental responsiveness, hydrogel assembly can be induced by cell culture media, allowing for 3D encapsulation of osteogenic cells. Initially, 20 cultures of MC3T3 cells proved that the hydrogel is nontoxic and sustains cellular attachment in the absence of serum proteins without altering the physical properties of the hydrogel. The cell-material structure relationship in normal and pathological conditions was further investigated by 3D encapsulation. Cell were viable for 3 weeks and grew in clonogenic spheroids. Characterization of the proliferation, differentiation and constitutive expression of various osteoblastic markers was performed using spectrophotometric methods. The well-defined, fibrillar nanostructure of the hydrogel directs the attachment and attachment and growth of osteoblast cells and dictates the mineralization of hydroxyapatite in a manner similar to bone. This study will enable control over the interaction of cellular systems with the peptide hydrogel with designs for biomedical applications of bone repair. (author)

  19. An Injectable Composite Gelatin Hydrogel with pH Response Properties

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Baoguo Chen

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available On account of minimally invasive procedure and of filling irregular defects of tissues, injectable hydrogels are increasingly attractive in biomedical fields. However, traditional hydrogel formed by simple physical interaction or in situ crosslinking had inevitably some drawbacks such as low mechanical strength and lack of multifunctional properties. Though many investigations had successfully modified traditional injectable hydrogel to obtain both mechanical and functional properties, an acetalated β-cyclodextrin (Ac-β-CD nanoparticle composite injectable hydrogel designed in the research was another effective and efficient choice to solve the drawbacks. First of all, gelatin derivative (G-AA and Ac-β-CD were synthesized to prepare hydrogel and nanoparticle, respectively. In order to ensure good compatibility between nanoparticle and macromonomer and provide crosslink points between nanoparticle and macromonomer, G-AA was simultaneously functionalized onto the surface of Ac-β-CD nanoparticle during the fabrication of Ac-β-CD nanoparticle using one-step method. Finally, injectable composite hydrogel was obtained by photoinitiated polymerization in situ. Hydrogel properties like gelation time and swelling ratio were investigated. The viscoelastic behavior of hydrogels confirmed that typical characteristics of crosslinked elastomer for all hydrogel and nanoparticle in hydrogel could improve the mechanical property of hydrogel. Moreover, the transparency with time had verified obvious acid-response properties of hydrogels.

  20. A flexible micro biofuel cell utilizing hydrogel containing ascorbic acid

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goto, Hideaki; Fukushi, Yudai; Nishioka, Yasushiro

    2014-11-01

    This paper reports on a biofuel cell with a dimension of 13×24 mm2 fabricated on a flexible polyimide substrate. I its porous carbon-coated platinum (Pt) electrodes of 3 mm in width and 10 mm in length were fabricated using photolithography and screen printing techniques. Porous carbon was deposited by screen printing of carbon black ink on the Pt electrode surfaces in order to increase the effective electrode surface area and to absorb more enzymes on the electrode surfaces. It utilizes a solidified ascorbic acid (AA) aqueous solution in an agarose hydrogel to increase the portability. The maximum power and power density for the biofuel cell with the fuel unit containing 100 mM AA were 0.063 μW and 0.21 μW/cm2 at 0.019 V, respectively.

  1. A flexible micro biofuel cell utilizing hydrogel containing ascorbic acid

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Goto, Hideaki; Fukushi, Yudai; Nishioka, Yasushiro

    2014-01-01

    This paper reports on a biofuel cell with a dimension of 13×24 mm 2 fabricated on a flexible polyimide substrate. I its porous carbon-coated platinum (Pt) electrodes of 3 mm in width and 10 mm in length were fabricated using photolithography and screen printing techniques. Porous carbon was deposited by screen printing of carbon black ink on the Pt electrode surfaces in order to increase the effective electrode surface area and to absorb more enzymes on the electrode surfaces. It utilizes a solidified ascorbic acid (AA) aqueous solution in an agarose hydrogel to increase the portability. The maximum power and power density for the biofuel cell with the fuel unit containing 100 mM AA were 0.063 μW and 0.21 μW/cm 2 at 0.019 V, respectively

  2. Recovery of oxidative stress-induced damage in Cisd2-deficient cardiomyocytes by sustained release of ferulic acid from injectable hydrogel.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cheng, Yung-Hsin; Lin, Feng-Huei; Wang, Chien-Ying; Hsiao, Chen-Yuan; Chen, Hung-Ching; Kuo, Hsin-Yu; Tsai, Ting-Fen; Chiou, Shih-Hwa

    2016-10-01

    Aging-related oxidative stress is considered a major risk factor of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and could be associated with mitochondrial dysfunction and reactive oxygen species (ROS) overproduction. Cisd2 is an outer mitochondrial membrane protein and plays an important role in controlling the lifespan of mammals. Ferulic acid (FA), a natural antioxidant, is able to improve cardiovascular functions and inhibit the pathogenetic CVD process. However, directly administering therapeutics with antioxidant molecules is challenging because of stability and bioavailability issues. In the present study, thermosensitive chitosan-gelatin-based hydrogel containing FA was used to treat Cisd2-deficient (Cisd2(-/-)) cardiomyocytes (CM) derived from induced pluripotent stem cells of Cisd2(-/-) murine under oxidative stress. The results revealed that the developed hydrogel could provide a sustained release of FA and increase the cell viability. Post-treatment of FA-loaded hydrogel effectively decreased the oxidative stress-induced damage in Cisd2(-/-) CM via increasing catalase activity and decreasing endogenous reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. The in vivo biocompatibility of FA-loaded hydrogel was confirmed in subcutaneously injected rabbits and intramyocardially injected Cisd2(-/-) mice. These results suggest that the thermosensitive FA-loaded hydrogel could rescue Cisd2(-/-) CM from oxidative stress-induced damage and may have potential applications in the future treatment of CVD. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. Study of the contribution of the state of water to the gel properties of a photocrosslinked polyacrylic acid hydrogel using magnetic resonance imaging.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Onuki, Yoshinori; Hasegawa, Naoki; Kida, Chihiro; Obata, Yasuko; Takayama, Kozo

    2014-11-01

    Photocrosslinked polyacrylic acid (PAA-HEMA) hydrogels are a promising candidate for use in dermatological patch adhesives. To gain further knowledge about the properties of this gel, we investigated the T1 relaxation time and the diffusion coefficient (D) of water in the hydrogels using magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. Hydrogels with different formulations and process factors were prepared and tested. The observed data were analyzed by ANOVA, which clarified the mode of action of the formulation and process factors based on these MR parameters. Various gel properties (i.e., gel fraction, swelling capacity, gel strength, and water-retention ability) were also measured, followed by a Bayesian network (BN) analysis. The BN allowed us to summarize well the relationships between the formulation and process factors, MR parameters, and gel properties. T1 was associated with the swelling and water-retention properties of the hydrogel, whereas D was associated with gel formation and gel strength. Furthermore, this study clarified that T1 and D mostly represented the hydration and water-compartmentalization effects of the hydrogel, respectively. In conclusion, the state of water seems to play an important role in the properties of the PAA-HEMA hydrogel. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. and the American Pharmacists Association.

  4. Hyaluronic Acid (HA)-Polyethylene glycol (PEG) as injectable hydrogel for intervertebral disc degeneration patients therapy

    Science.gov (United States)

    Putri Kwarta, Cityta; Widiyanti, Prihartini; Siswanto

    2017-05-01

    Chronic Low Back Pain (CLBP) is one health problem that is often encountered in a community. Inject-able hydrogels are the newest way to restore the disc thickness and hydration caused by disc degeneration by means of minimally invasive surgery. Thus, polymers can be combined to improve the characteristic properties of inject-able hydrogels, leading to use of Hyaluronic Acid (a natural polymer) and Polyethylene glycol (PEG) with Horse Radish Peroxide (HRP) cross linker enzymes. The swelling test results, which approaches were the ideal disc values, were sampled with variation of enzyme concentrations of 0.25 µmol/min/mL. The enzyme concentrations were 33.95%. The degradation test proved that the sample degradation increased along with the decrease of the HRP enzyme concentration. The results of the cytotoxicity assay with MTT assay method showed that all samples resulted in the 90% of living cells are not toxic. In vitro injection, models demonstrated that higher concentration of the enzymes was less state of gel which would rupture when released from the agarose gel. The functional group characterization shows the cross linking bonding in sample with enzyme adding. The conclusion of this study is PEG-HA-HRP enzyme are safe polymer composites which have a potential to be applied as an injectable hydrogel for intervertebral disc degeneration.

  5. Evaluation of Hydrogel Suppositories for Delivery of 5-Aminolevulinic Acid and Hematoporphyrin Monomethyl Ether to Rectal Tumors.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ye, Xuying; Yin, Huijuan; Lu, Yu; Zhang, Haixia; Wang, Han

    2016-10-12

    We evaluated the potential utility of hydrogels for delivery of the photosensitizing agents 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) and hematoporphyrin monomethyl ether (HMME) to rectal tumors. Hydrogel suppositories containing ALA or HMME were administered to the rectal cavity of BALB/c mice bearing subcutaneous tumors of SW837 rectal carcinoma cells. For comparison, ALA and HMME were also administered by three common photosensitizer delivery routes; local administration to the skin and intratumoral or intravenous injection. The concentration of ALA-induced protoporphyrin IX or HMME in the rectal wall, skin, and subcutaneous tumor was measured by fluorescence spectrophotometry, and their distribution in vertical sections of the tumor was measured using a fluorescence spectroscopy system. The concentration of ALA-induced protoporphyrin IX in the rectal wall after local administration of suppositories to the rectal cavity was 9.76-fold (1 h) and 5.8-fold (3 h) higher than in the skin after cutaneous administration. The maximal depth of ALA penetration in the tumor was ~3-6 mm at 2 h after cutaneous administration. Much lower levels of HMME were observed in the rectal wall after administration as a hydrogel suppository, and the maximal depth of tumor penetration was <2 mm after cutaneous administration. These data show that ALA more readily penetrates the mucosal barrier than the skin. Administration of ALA as an intrarectal hydrogel suppository is thus a potential delivery route for photodynamic therapy of rectal cancer.

  6. Optimization and translation of MSC-based hyaluronic acid hydrogels for cartilage repair

    Science.gov (United States)

    Erickson, Isaac E.

    2011-12-01

    Traumatic injury and disease disrupt the ability of cartilage to carry joint stresses and, without an innate regenerative response, often lead to degenerative changes towards the premature development of osteoarthritis. Surgical interventions have yet to restore long-term mechanical function. Towards this end, tissue engineering has been explored for the de novo formation of engineered cartilage as a biologic approach to cartilage repair. Research utilizing autologous chondrocytes has been promising, but clinical limitations in their yield have motivated research into the potential of mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) as an alternative cell source. MSCs are multipotent cells that can differentiate towards a chondrocyte phenotype in a number of biomaterials, but no combination has successfully recapitulated the native mechanical function of healthy articular cartilage. The broad objective of this thesis was to establish an MSC-based tissue engineering approach worthy of clinical translation. Hydrogels are a common class of biomaterial used for cartilage tissue engineering and our initial work demonstrated the potential of a photo-polymerizable hyaluronic acid (HA) hydrogel to promote MSC chondrogenesis and improved construct maturation by optimizing macromer and MSC seeding density. The beneficial effects of dynamic compressive loading, high MSC density, and continuous mixing (orbital shaker) resulted in equilibrium modulus values over 1 MPa, well in range of native tissue. While compressive properties are crucial, clinical translation also demands that constructs stably integrate within a defect. We utilized a push-out testing modality to assess the in vitro integration of HA constructs within artificial cartilage defects. We established the necessity for in vitro pre-maturation of constructs before repair to achieve greater integration strength and compressive properties in situ. Combining high MSC density and gentle mixing resulted in integration strength over 500 k

  7. Gold recovery onto poly(acrylamide-allylthiourea) hydrogels synthesized by treating with gamma radiation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kilic, A. Guelden [Hacettepe University, Department of Chemistry, 06532 Ankara (Turkey); Malci, Savas [Hacettepe University, Department of Chemistry, 06532 Ankara (Turkey); Celikbicak, Oemuer [Hacettepe University, Department of Chemistry, 06532 Ankara (Turkey); Sahiner, Nurettin [Hacettepe University, Department of Chemistry, 06532 Ankara (Turkey); Salih, Bekir [Hacettepe University, Department of Chemistry, 06532 Ankara (Turkey)]. E-mail: bekir@hacettepe.edu.tr

    2005-08-15

    Poly(acrylamide-1-allyl-2-thiourea) hydrogels, Poly(AAm-ATU), were synthesized by gamma irradiation using a {sup 60}Co {gamma} source at different irradiation dose rates and in a monomer mixture with different 1-allyl-2-thiourea contents. These hydrogels were used for the specific gold recovery from single and competitive media. It was observed that the gold adsorption capacity onto the hydrogels was high at low pHs and reached a maximum value at pH 0.5. It was found that the adsorption capacity of the hydrogels for gold ions in acidic media around pH 0.5 was high and about 940 mg g{sup -1} dry hydrogel. Adsorption of these hydrogels for gold ions was found to be very fast and also these hydrogels were showed extremely high selectivity to the gold ions in acidic media even when the concentrations of the other metal ions were extremely higher than that of the gold. Because of the high specificity of these hydrogels to gold ions compared with the other metal ions at low pHs, all matrix effects could be easily eliminated by adsorbing gold ions onto the hydrogels at around pH 0.5 and desorbing into 0.8 M thiourea in 3.0 M HCl. The swellability of the synthesized hydrogels varied with irradiation dose rates and increased at high irradiation dose rates. The minimum swellability of the hydrogels was found to be at least 1000% which made it attractive for gold to penetrate into the hydrogels and react with all the functional groups in the interior surface of the hydrogels.

  8. Mussel-Inspired Self-Healing Double-Cross-Linked Hydrogels by Controlled Combination of Metal Coordination and Covalent Cross-Linking

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Andersen, Amanda; Krogsgaard, Marie; Birkedal, Henrik

    2018-01-01

    a catechol-based hydrogel design that allows for the degree of oxidative covalent cross-linking to be controlled. Double cross-linked hydrogels with tunable stiffness are constructed by adding the oxidizable catechol analogue, tannic acid, to an oxidation-resistant hydrogel construct held together...... by coordination of the dihydroxy functionality of 1-(2'-carboxyethyl)-2-methyl-3-hydroxy-4-pyridinone to trivalent metal ions. By varying the amount of tannic acid, the hydrogel stiffness can be customized to a given application while retaining the self-healing capabilities of the hydrogel's coordination chemical...

  9. Two-dimensional inverse opal hydrogel for pH sensing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xue, Fei; Meng, Zihui; Qi, Fenglian; Xue, Min; Wang, Fengyan; Chen, Wei; Yan, Zequn

    2014-12-07

    A novel hydrogel film with a highly ordered macropore monolayer on its surface was prepared by templated photo-polymerization of hydrogel monomers on a two-dimensional (2D) polystyrene colloidal array. The 2D inverse opal hydrogel has prominent advantages over traditional three-dimensional (3D) inverse opal hydrogels. First, the formation of the 2D array template through a self-assembly method is considerably faster and simpler. Second, the stable ordering structure of the 2D array template makes it easier to introduce the polymerization solution into the template. Third, a simple measurement, a Debye diffraction ring, is utilized to characterize the neighboring pore spacing of the 2D inverse opal hydrogel. Acrylic acid was copolymerized into the hydrogel; thus, the hydrogel responded to pH through volume change, which resulted from the formation of the Donnan potential. The 2D inverse opal hydrogel showed that the neighboring pore spacing increased by about 150 nm and diffracted color red-shifted from blue to red as the pH increased from pH 2 to 7. In addition, the pH response kinetics and ionic strength effect of this 2D mesoporous polymer film were also investigated.

  10. Preparation and Characteristics of Corn Straw-Co-AMPS-Co-AA Superabsorbent Hydrogel

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Wei-Min Cheng

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available In this study, the corn straw after removing the lignin was grafted with 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid (AMPS to prepare sulfonated cellulose. The grafting copolymerization between the sulfonated cellulose and acrylic acid (AA was performed using potassium persulfate and N,N′-methylenebisacrylamide as the initiator and crosslinking agent, respectively, to prepare corn straw-co-AMPS-co-AA hydrogels. The structure and properties of the resulting hydrogels were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and dynamic rheometry. The effects of initiator, crosslinker, monomer neutralization degree, and temperature on the swelling ratio of the hydrogels were studied. The water retention, salt resistance, and recyclability of the corn straw-co-AMPS-co-AA hydrogels were also investigated. The optimum water absorptivity of the corn straw hydrogels was obtained at a polymerization temperature of 50 °C with 1.2% crosslinker, 1:7 ratio of the pretreated corn straw and AA, 2% initiator, and 50% neutralized AA.

  11. Optical sensing properties of Au nanoparticle/hydrogel composite microbeads using droplet microfluidics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Huilin; Men, Dandan; Sun, Yiqiang; Zhang, Tao; Hang, Lifeng; Liu, Dilong; Li, Cuncheng; Cai, Weiping; Li, Yue

    2017-10-01

    Uniform Au nanoparticle (NP)/poly (acrylamide-co-acrylic acid) [P(AAm-co-AA)] hydrogel microbeads were successfully prepared using droplet microfluidics technology. The microbeads exhibited a good stimuli-responsive behavior to pH value. Particularly in the pH value ranging from pH 2-pH 9, the composite microbead sizes gradually increased along with the increase of pH value. The homogeneous Au NPs, which were encapsulated in the P(AAm-co-AA) hydrogel microbeads, could transform the volume changes of hydrogel into optical signals by a tested single microbead with a microspectrometre system. The glucose was translated into gluconic acid by glucose oxidase. Thus, the Au NP/P(AAm-co-AA) hydrogel microbeads were used for detecting glucose based on pH effects on the composite microbeads. For this, the single Au NP/P(AAm-co-AA) hydrogel microbead could act as a good pH- or glucose-visualizing sensor.

  12. Reusable self-healing hydrogels realized via in situ polymerization.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vivek, Balachandran; Prasad, Edamana

    2015-04-09

    In this work, a self-healing hydrogel has been prepared using in situ polymerization of acrylic acid and acrylamide in the presence of glycogen. The hydrogel was characterized using NMR, SEM, FT-IR, rheology, and dynamic light scattering (DLS) studies. The developed hydrogel exhibits self-healing properties at neutral pH, high swelling ability, high elasticity, and excellent mechanical strength. The hydrogel exhibits modulus values (G', G″) as high as 10(6) Pa and shows an exceptionally high degree of swelling ratio (∼3.5 × 10(3)). Further, the polymer based hydrogel adsorbs toxic metal ions (Cd(2+), Pb(2+), and Hg(2+)) and organic dyes (methylene blue and methyl orange) from contaminated water with remarkable efficiency (90-98%). The mechanistic analysis indicated the presence of pseudo-second-order reaction kinetics. The reusability of the hydrogel has been demonstrated by repeating the adsorption-desorption process over five cycles with identical results in the adsorption efficiency.

  13. pH responsive N-succinyl chitosan/Poly (acrylamide-co-acrylic acid hydrogels and in vitro release of 5-fluorouracil.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shahid Bashir

    Full Text Available There has been significant progress in the last few decades in addressing the biomedical applications of polymer hydrogels. Particularly, stimuli responsive hydrogels have been inspected as elegant drug delivery systems capable to deliver at the appropriate site of action within the specific time. The present work describes the synthesis of pH responsive semi-interpenetrating network (semi-IPN hydrogels of N-succinyl-chitosan (NSC via Schiff base mechanism using glutaraldehyde as a crosslinking agent and Poly (acrylamide-co-acrylic acid(Poly (AAm-co-AA was embedded within the N-succinyl chitosan network. The physico-chemical interactions were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR, X-ray diffraction (XRD, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA, and field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM. The synthesized hydrogels constitute porous structure. The swelling ability was analyzed in physiological mediums of pH 7.4 and pH 1.2 at 37°C. Swelling properties of formulations with various amounts of NSC/ Poly (AAm-co-AA and crosslinking agent at pH 7.4 and pH 1.2 were investigated. Hydrogels showed higher swelling ratios at pH 7.4 while lower at pH 1.2. Swelling kinetics and diffusion parameters were also determined. Drug loading, encapsulation efficiency, and in vitro release of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU from the synthesized hydrogels were observed. In vitro release profile revealed the significant influence of pH, amount of NSC, Poly (AAm-co-AA, and crosslinking agent on the release of 5-FU. Accordingly, rapid and large release of drug was observed at pH 7.4 than at pH 1.2. The maximum encapsulation efficiency and release of 5-FU from SP2 were found to be 72.45% and 85.99%, respectively. Kinetics of drug release suggested controlled release mechanism of 5-FU is according to trend of non-Fickian. From the above results, it can be concluded that the synthesized hydrogels have capability to adapt their potential exploitation as targeted oral drug

  14. Preparation of pH-sensitive poly(ethylene oxide) hydrogels grafted by γ-ray irradiation and their applications for drug delivery system

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nho, Y.-C.; Kang, P.-H.; Lim, Y.-M.; Kuk, I.-H.

    2006-01-01

    undesirable. Oral delivery of peptides, proteins and other drugs to the gastrointestinal (GI) tract is one of the most challenging issues, and thus, under much investigation. There are many hurdles, including protein inactivation by digestive enzymes in the GI tract, and the poor epithelial permeability of these drugs. Certain hydrogels may overcome some of these problems by appropriate molecular design or formulation approaches. In this study, pH-sensitive hydrogels were studied as a drug carrier for the protection of insulin from the acidic environment of the stomach before releasing it in the small intestine. Hydrogels based on poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) networks grafted with methacrylic acid (MAA) or acrylic acid (AAc) were prepared via a two-step process. PEO hydrogels were prepared by gamma-ray irradiation (radiation dose: 50 kGy, does rate: 7.66 kGy/h), and then grafting by either MAA or AAc monomers onto the PEO hydrogels with subsequent irradiation (radiation dose: 5-20 kGy, dose rate: 2.15 kGy/h). These grafted hydrogels showed a pH-sensitive swelling behavior. The grafted hydogels were used as a carrier for the drug delivery systems for the controlled release of insulin. Drug-loaded hydrogels were placed in simulated gastric fluid (SGF, pH 1.2) for 2 hr and then in simulated intestinal fluid (SIF, pH 6.8). The in vitro drug release behaviors of these hydrogels were examined by quantification analysis with a UV/vis spectrophotometer. The equilibrium swelling measurements of these hydrogels, which were carried out in simulated gastrointestinal fluids, showed a pH-sensitive nature. The in vitro release profiles of the drugs were obtained in both a simulated gastric fluid and simulated intestinal fluid. The release behavior of the pH-sensitive PEO-g-MAA and PEO-g-AAc hydrogels indicated that these gels could be applied successfully for oral drug delivery to the gastrointestinal tract. . (authors)

  15. Preparation and swelling properties of pH-sensitive composite hydrogel beads based on chitosan-g-poly (acrylic acid)/vermiculite and sodium alginate for diclofenac controlled release.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Qin; Xie, Xiaoling; Zhang, Xiaowei; Zhang, Junping; Wang, Aiqin

    2010-04-01

    A series of pH-sensitive composite hydrogel beads, chitosan-g-poly (acrylic acid)/vermiculite/sodium alginate (CTS-g-PAA/VMT/SA), was prepared using CTS-g-PAA/VMT composite and SA by Ca(2+) as the crosslinking agent. The structure and morphologies of the developed composite hydrogel beads were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The swelling properties and pH-sensitivity of the beads were investigated. In addition, the drug loading and controlled release behaviors of the beads were also evaluated using diclofenac sodium (DS) as the model drug in stimulated gastric fluids (pH 2.1) and intestinal fluids (pH 6.8). The results indicate that the composite hydrogel beads showed good pH-sensitivity. The release rate of the drug from the composite hydrogel beads is remarkably slowed down, which indicated that incorporating VMT into the composite hydrogel beads can improve the burst release effect of the drug. Copyright 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  16. Synthesis and Characterization of 5-Fluorouracil-Loaded Glutaraldehyde Crosslinked Chitosan Hydrogels

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zehra ÖZBAŞ

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available In this work, the characterization and drug release behavior of 5-fluorouracil-loaded glutaraldehyde-crosslinked chitosan hydrogels have been studied. The structure of the hydrogels were investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry, and X-ray diffraction, also their properties were compared with those of the drug-unloaded hydrogels. The equilibrium swelling studies and drug release profiles were determined at 37°C in two different pHs (2.1 and 7.4. The results indicated that increased chitosan concentration in the hydrogel decreased the swelling and drug release values and the hydrogels released nearly the same amount of 5-fluorouracil in both acidic (~59% and basic medium (~50%.

  17. Injectable, Biomolecule-Responsive Polypeptide Hydrogels for Cell Encapsulation and Facile Cell Recovery through Triggered Degradation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Qinghua; He, Chaoliang; Zhang, Zhen; Ren, Kaixuan; Chen, Xuesi

    2016-11-16

    Injectable hydrogels have been widely investigated in biomedical applications, and increasing demand has been proposed to achieve dynamic regulation of physiological properties of hydrogels. Herein, a new type of injectable and biomolecule-responsive hydrogel based on poly(l-glutamic acid) (PLG) grafted with disulfide bond-modified phloretic acid (denoted as PLG-g-CPA) was developed. The hydrogels formed in situ via enzymatic cross-linking under physiological conditions in the presence of horseradish peroxidase and hydrogen peroxide. The physiochemical properties of the hydrogels, including gelation time and the rheological property, were measured. Particularly, the triggered degradation of the hydrogel in response to a reductive biomolecule, glutathione (GSH), was investigated in detail. The mechanical strength and inner porous structure of the hydrogel were influenced by the addition of GSH. The polypeptide hydrogel was used as a three-dimensional (3D) platform for cell encapsulation, which could release the cells through triggered disruption of the hydrogel in response to the addition of GSH. The cells released from the hydrogel were found to maintain high viability. Moreover, after subcutaneous injection into rats, the PLG-g-CPA hydrogels with disulfide-containing cross-links exhibited a markedly faster degradation behavior in vivo compared to that of the PLG hydrogels without disulfide cross-links, implying an interesting accelerated degradation process of the disulfide-containing polypeptide hydrogels in the physiological environment in vivo. Overall, the injectable and biomolecule-responsive polypeptide hydrogels may serve as a potential platform for 3D cell culture and easy cell collection.

  18. Polyvinyl alcohol hydrogels for iontohporesis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bera, Prasanta; Alam, Asif Ali; Arora, Neha; Tibarewala, Dewaki Nandan; Basak, Piyali

    2013-06-01

    Transdermal therapeutic systems propound controlled release of active ingredients through the skin into the systemic circulation in a predictive manner. Drugs administered through these systems escape first-pass metabolism and maintain a steady state scenario similar to a continuous intravenous infusion for up to several days. The iontophoresis deal with the systemic delivery of the bioactive agents (drug) by applying an electric current. It is basically an injection without the needle. The iontophoretic system requires a gel-based matrix to accommodate the bioactive agent. Hydrogels have been used by many investigators in controlled-release drug delivery systems because of their good tissue compatibility and easy manipulation of swelling level and, thereby, solute permeability. In this work we have prepared polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) hydrogel. We have cross linked polyvinyl alcohol chemically with Glutaraldehyde with different wt%. FTIR study reveals the chemical changes during cross linking. Swelling in water, is done to have an idea about drug loading and drug release from the membrane. After drug loading to the hydrogels, we have studied the drug release property of the hydrogels using salicylic acid as a model drug.

  19. Influence of Irradiated Chitosan on Growth and Flower Quality of Gladiolus at Different Sowing Dates and Synthesis of Radiation Cross-Linked Poly(Acrylic Acid) Hydrogel for Agriculture Applications. Chapter 14

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Habib, U.; Ahmed, N. [Department of Horticulture, PMAS Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi (Pakistan); Zahid, S.; Yashin, T., E-mail: yasintariq@yahoo.com [Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Islamabad (Pakistan)

    2014-07-15

    The plant growth promoter activity of irradiated chitosan on Gladiolus hortulanus cv. Amsterdam was studied. Chitosan was applied in the form of foliar spray at third leaf stage. Corms were sown at three different dates with 15-day intervals. Data on several parameters such as survival percentage, leaf area, plant height, number of florets per spike, and vase life were collected. Chitosan-treated plants showed superior results as compared to the control samples. Acrylic acid-based superabsorbent hydrogel was prepared using phenyltriethoxysilane (PTES) as cross-linker. Different amounts of PTES were incorporated and irradiated at different doses of up to a maximum of 30 kGy. The cross-linked acrylic acid showed hydrogel properties, and its swelling kinetics, gel fraction, and equilibrium degree of swelling (EDS) were studied. The swelling of hydrogel was also affected by pH, ionic strength, and temperature. These hydrogels can be further explored as a super water absorbent material in semi-arid and drought prone areas. (author)

  20. Collagen and hyaluronic acid hydrogel in water-in-oil microemulsion delivery systems.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kupper, Sylwia; Kłosowska-Chomiczewska, Ilona; Szumała, Patrycja

    2017-11-01

    The increase in skin related health issues has promoted interest in research on the efficacy of microemulsion in dermal and transdermal delivery of active ingredients. Here, we assessed the water-in-oil microemulsion capacity to incorporate two natural polymers, i.e. collagen and hyaluronic acid with low and high molecular weight. Systems were extensively characterized in terms of conductivity, phase inversion studies, droplet diameter, polydispersity index and rheological properties. The results of this research indicate that the structure and extent of water phase in microemulsions is governed by ratio and amount of surfactant mixture (sorbitan ester derivatives). However, results have also shown that collagen, depending upon the weight of the molecule and its surface activity, influence the droplet size of the microemulsions. While the hyaluronic acid, especially with high molecular weight, due to the water-binding ability and hydrogel formation alters the rheological properties of the microemulsion, thus providing viscous consistency of the formulation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. Recent Developments in Thiolated Polymeric Hydrogels for Tissue Engineering Applications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gajendiran, Mani; Rhee, Jae-Sung; Kim, Kyobum

    2018-02-01

    This review focuses on the recent strategy in the preparation of thiolated polymers and fabrication of their hydrogel matrices. The mechanism involved in the synthesis of thiolated polymers and fabrication of thiolated polymer hydrogels is exemplified with suitable schematic representations reported in the recent literature. The 2-iminothiolane namely "Traut's reagent" has been widely used for effectively thiolating the natural polymers such as collagen and gelatin, which contain free amino group in their backbone. The free carboxylic acid group containing polymers such as hyaluronic acid and heparin have been thiolated by using the bifunctional molecules such as cysteamine and L-cysteine via N-(3-dimethylaminopropyl)-N'-ethylcarbodiimide/N-hydroxysuccinimide (EDC/NHS) coupling reaction. The degree of thiolation in the polymer chain has been widely determined by using Ellman's assay method. The thiolated polymer hydrogels are prepared by disulfide bond formation (or) thiol-ene reaction (or) Michael-type addition reaction. The thiolated polymers such as thiolated gelatin are reacted with polyethylene glycol diacrylate for obtaining interpenetrating polymer network hydrogel scaffolds. Several in vitro cell culture experiments indicate that the developed thiolated polymer hydrogels exhibited biocompatibility and cellular mimicking properties. The developed hydrogel scaffolds efficiently support proliferation and differentiation of various cell types. In the present review article, the thiol-functionalized protein-based biopolymers, carbohydrate-based polymers, and some synthetic polymers have been covered with recently published research articles. In addition, the usage of new thiolated nanomaterials as a crosslinking agent for the preparation of three-dimensional tissue-engineered hydrogels is highlighted.

  2. Antibacterial Properties of Silver Nanoparticles Embedded on Polyelectrolyte Hydrogels Based on α-Amino Acid Residues

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mario Casolaro

    2018-05-01

    Full Text Available Polyelectrolyte hydrogels bearing l-phenylalanine (PHE, l-valine (AVA, and l-histidine (Hist residues were used as scaffolds for the formation of silver nanoparticles by reduction of Ag+ ions with NaBH4. The interaction with the metal ion allowed a prompt collapse of the swollen hydrogel, due to the neutralization reaction of basic groups present on the polymer. The imidazole nitrogen of the hydrogel with Hist demonstrated greater complexing capacity with the Ag+ ion compared to the hydrogels with carboxyl groups. The subsequent reduction to metallic silver allowed for the restoration of the hydrogel’s degree of swelling to the starting value. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM and spectroscopic analyses showed, respectively, a uniform distribution of the 15 nm spherical silver nanoparticles embedded on the hydrogel and peak optical properties around a wavelength of 400 nm due to the surface plasmonic effect. Unlike native hydrogels, the composite hydrogels containing silver nanoparticles showed good antibacterial activity as gram+/gram− bactericides, and higher antifungal activity against S. cerevisiae.

  3. Improved Concrete Materials with Hydrogel-Based Internal Curing Agents

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Matthew J. Krafcik

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available This research article will describe the design and use of polyelectrolyte hydrogel particles as internal curing agents in concrete and present new results on relevant hydrogel-ion interactions. When incorporated into concrete, hydrogel particles release their stored water to fuel the curing reaction, resulting in reduced volumetric shrinkage and cracking and thus increasing concrete service life. The hydrogel’s swelling performance and mechanical properties are strongly sensitive to multivalent cations that are naturally present in concrete mixtures, including calcium and aluminum. Model poly(acrylic acid(AA-acrylamide(AM-based hydrogel particles with different chemical compositions (AA:AM monomer ratio were synthesized and immersed in sodium, calcium, and aluminum salt solutions. The presence of multivalent cations resulted in decreased swelling capacity and altered swelling kinetics to the point where some hydrogel compositions displayed rapid deswelling behavior and the formation of a mechanically stiff shell. Interestingly, when incorporated into mortar, hydrogel particles reduced mixture shrinkage while encouraging the formation of specific inorganic phases (calcium hydroxide and calcium silicate hydrate within the void space previously occupied by the swollen particle.

  4. Fibrous hyaluronic acid hydrogels that direct MSC chondrogenesis through mechanical and adhesive cues.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Iris L; Khetan, Sudhir; Baker, Brendon M; Chen, Christopher S; Burdick, Jason A

    2013-07-01

    Electrospinning has recently gained much interest due to its ability to form scaffolds that mimic the nanofibrous nature of the extracellular matrix, such as the size and depth-dependent alignment of collagen fibers within hyaline cartilage. While much progress has been made in developing bulk, isotropic hydrogels for tissue engineering and understanding how the microenvironment of such scaffolds affects cell response, these effects have not been extensively studied in a nanofibrous system. Here, we show that the mechanics (through intrafiber crosslink density) and adhesivity (through RGD density) of electrospun hyaluronic acid (HA) fibers significantly affect human mesenchymal stem cell (hMSC) interactions and gene expression. Specifically, hMSC spreading, proliferation, and focal adhesion formation were dependent on RGD density, but not on the range of fiber mechanics investigated. Moreover, traction-mediated fiber displacements generally increased with more adhesive fibers. The expression of chondrogenic markers, unlike trends in cell spreading and cytoskeletal organization, was influenced by both fiber mechanics and adhesivity, in which softer fibers and lower RGD densities generally enhanced chondrogenesis. This work not only reveals concurrent effects of mechanics and adhesivity in a fibrous context, but also highlights fibrous HA hydrogels as a promising scaffold for future cartilage repair strategies. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Adhesion of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus epidermidis to silicone-hydrogel contact lenses.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Henriques, Mariana; Sousa, Cláudia; Lira, Madalena; Elisabete, M; Oliveira, Real; Oliveira, Rosário; Azeredo, Joana

    2005-06-01

    The purpose of this study is to compare the adhesion capabilities of the most important etiologic agents of microbial ocular infection to the recently available silicone-hydrogel lenses with those to a conventional hydrogel lens. In vitro static adhesion assays of Pseudomonas aeruginosa 10,145, Staphylococcus epidermidis 9142 (biofilm-positive), and 12,228 (biofilm-negative) to two extended-wear silicone-hydrogel lenses (balafilcon A and lotrafilcon A), a daily wear silicone-hydrogel lens (galyfilcon A) and a conventional hydrogel (etafilcon A) were performed. To interpret the adhesion results, lens surface relative hydrophobicity was assessed by water contact angle measurements. P. aeruginosa and S. epidermidis 9142 exhibited greater adhesion capabilities to the extended wear silicone-hydrogel lenses than to the daily wear silicone- and conventional hydrogel lenses (p adhesion extent of these strains to galyfilcon A and etafilcon A. The biofilm negative strain of S. epidermidis adhered in larger extents to the silicone-hydrogel lenses than to the conventional hydrogel (p contact angle measurements revealed that the extended wear silicone-hydrogel lenses are hydrophobic, whereas the daily wear silicone- and conventional hydrogel lenses are hydrophilic. As a result of their hydrophobicity, the extended wear silicone-hydrogel lenses (lotrafilcon A and balafilcon A) may carry higher risk of microbial contamination than both the hydrophilic daily wear silicone-hydrogel lens, galyfilcon A and the conventional hydrogel lens, etafilcon A.

  6. Reinforcing the inner phase of the filled hydrogels with CNTs alters drug release properties and human keratinocyte morphology: A study on the gelatin- tamarind gum filled hydrogels.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Maharana, Vivek; Gaur, Deepanjali; Nayak, Suraj K; Singh, Vinay K; Chakraborty, Subhabrata; Banerjee, Indranil; Ray, Sirsendu S; Anis, Arfat; Pal, Kunal

    2017-11-01

    The study reports the synthesis and characterization of gelatin-tamarind gum (TG) based filled hydrogels for drug delivery applications. In this study, three different types of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were incorporated within the dispersed TG phase of the filled hydrogels. The prepared hydrogels were thoroughly characterised using bright field microscope, FESEM, FTIR spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimeter, and mechanical tester. The swelling and the drug (salicylic acid) release properties of the filled hydrogels were also evaluated. The micrographs revealed the formation of biphasic systems. The internal phase appeared as agglomerates, and the CNTs were confined within the dispersed TG phase. FTIR and XRD studies revealed that CNTs promoted associative interactions among the components of the hydrogel, which promoted the formation of large crystallite size. The mechanical study indicated better resistance to the breakdown of the architecture of the CNT-containing filled hydrogels. Drug release studies, both passive and iontophoretic, suggested that the non-Fickian diffusion of the drug was prevalent during its release from hydrogel matrices. The prepared hydrogels were cytocompatible with human keratinocytes. The results suggested the probable use of such hydrogels in wound healing, tissue engineering and drug delivery applications. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  7. Radiation Synthesis of Stimuli-Responsive Hydrogels for Biological Applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Eid, M.; Hegazy, S.A.

    2009-01-01

    Poly(acrylamide/maleic acid/gelatin) P(AAm/MA/G) hydrogel networks were synthesized by 60 Co gamma irradiation at different doses. The properties of the hydrogels such as gelation percent, porosity, and moisture retention were investigated. The swelling ratio (S), equilibrium water content (EWC) and diffusion characteristics, including equilibrium swelling ratio (ESR), diffusion constant (n) and diffusion coefficients (D) were investigated and a non-Fickian type of diffusion characteristics was found in all the swelling media for the diffusion of water into these hydrogels. Further, the swelling pattern of P(AAm/MA/G) hydrogels was studied in different physiological bio-fluids, ph and ionic/salt solutions and showed great responsiveness due to their ionic character. The penetration velocity (v) of these biological fluids into such hydrogels was also calculated and it was found to be the maximum in urea and the minimum in synthetic urine. The higher equilibrium water content of these hydrogels, promotes them to be used as biomedical/pharmaceutical technology. The caffeine release as a drug model has been studied at ph 1 and ph 7 to resemble the ph of the stomach and the intestine, respectively. The caffeine release was controlled by the hydrogel crosslinking density that caused in increase of the irradiation dose

  8. A hyaluronic acid-based hydrogel enabling CD44-mediated chondrocyte binding and gapmer oligonucleotide release for modulation of gene expression in osteoarthritis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Cai, Yunpeng; López-Ruiz, Elena; Wengel, Jesper

    2017-01-01

    Hyaluronic acid (HA) is an attractive biomaterial for osteoarthritis (OA) treatment due to inherent functional and compatibility properties as an endogenous knee joint component. In this work, we describe a HA-based hydrogel with the dual functionality of increased CD44-dependent chondrocyte......:3) for identifying designs displaying optimal engagement of OA patient-derived CD44-expressing chondrocytes. Correlation was found between cell binding and CD44 expression, with maximal binding exhibited at a HA/chitosan ratio of 7:3, that was 181% higher than CD44-negative MCF-7 cell control cells. Transfection...... agent-free uptake into OA chondrocytes of fluorescent 13-mer DNA oligonucleotides with a flanked locked nucleic acid (LNA) gapmer design, in contrast to naked siRNA, was demonstrated by confocal and flow cytometric analysis. A sustained and complete release over 5days was found with the 7:3 hydrogel...

  9. Design and development of guar gum based novel, superabsorbent and moisture retaining hydrogels for agricultural applications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thombare, Nandkishore; Mishra, Sumit; Siddiqui, M Z; Jha, Usha; Singh, Deodhari; Mahajan, Gopal R

    2018-04-01

    The novel hydrogels were synthesized by grafting guar gum with acrylic acid and cross-linking with ethylene glycol di methacrylic acid (EGDMA). The synthesis of hydrogel was confirmed by characterization through 13 C NMR, FTIR spectroscopy, SEM micrography, thermo-gravimetric analysis and water absorption studies under different solutions. Synthesized hydrogel (GG-AA-EGDMA) was confirmed to be biodegradable with half-life period of 77 days through soil burial biodegradation studies. The effects of hydrogel treatment on soil were evaluated by studying various physico-chemical properties of soil like bulk density, porosity, water absorption and retention capacity etc. The hydrogel which could absorb up to 800 ml water per gram, after addition to soil, improved its porosity, moisture absorption and retention capacity significantly. Water holding capacity of water increased up to 54% of its original and porosity also increased up to 9% of its original. The synthesized hydrogel revealed tremendous potential as soil conditioning material for agricultural applications. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. A study on the effect of the concentration of N,N-methylenebisacrylamide and acrylic acid toward the properties of Dioscorea hispida-starch-based hydrogel

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ashri, Airul; Lazim, Azwan

    2014-09-01

    The research investigated the effects of acrylic acid (monomer) and N,N,-methylenebisacrylamide, MBA (crosslinker) toward the percentage of gel content, swelling ratio and ionic strength of a starch-based hydrogel. Starch grafted on poly (sodium acrylate), St-g-PAANa hydrogel was prepared by incorporating starch extracted from Dioscorea hispida in NaOH/aqueous solution using different composition of acrylic acid (AA) and N,N-methylenebisacrylamide (MBA) in the presence of potassium persulfate (KPS) as chemical initiator. The highest gel content was observed at 1:30 ratio of starch to AA and 0.10 M of MBA. Results showed the highest swelling ratio was observed at 1:15 ratio of starch to acrylic acid and 0.02 M of MBA solution. The same results also gave the highest swelling ratio for the ionic strength study. The FTIR analysis was also conducted in order to confirm the grafting of AA onto starch backbone.

  11. Polymer hydrogels as optimized delivery systems

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Batista, Jorge G.S.; Varca, Gustavo H.C.; Ferraz, Caroline C.; Garrido, Gabriela P.; Diniz, Bruna M.; Carvalho, Vinicius S.; Lugao, Ademar B.

    2013-01-01

    Hydrogels are formed by polymers capable of absorbing large quantities of water. They consist of one or more three-dimensionally structured polymer networks formed by macromolecular chains linked by covalent bonds-crosslinks - and physical interactions. The application of hydrogels, has been widely studied. Biodegradable synthetic or natural polymers such as chitosan, starch and poly-lactic-co-glycolic acid, have properties that allow the development of biodegradable systems for drug and nutraceutics delivery. This study aimed to develop polymeric hydrogels based on polyvinyl alcohol, polyacrylamide and polyvinylpyrrolidone using ionizing radiation in order to develop hydrogels for improved loading and release of compounds. Polymer solutions were solubilized in water and poured into thermoformed packages. After sealing, the material was subjected to γ-irradiation at 25kGy. The samples were assayed by means of mechanical properties, gel fraction and swelling degree. Nanostructure characterization was performed using Flory's equation to determine crosslinking density. The systems developed showed swelling degree and adequate mechanical resistance. The nanostructure evaluation showed different results for each system demonstrating the need of choosing the polymer based on the specific properties of each material. (author)

  12. Polymer hydrogels as optimized delivery systems

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Batista, Jorge G.S.; Varca, Gustavo H.C.; Ferraz, Caroline C.; Garrido, Gabriela P.; Diniz, Bruna M.; Carvalho, Vinicius S.; Lugao, Ademar B., E-mail: jorgegabriel@usp.br [Instituto de Pesquisas Energeticas e Nucleares (IPEN/CNEN-SP), Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil)

    2013-07-01

    Hydrogels are formed by polymers capable of absorbing large quantities of water. They consist of one or more three-dimensionally structured polymer networks formed by macromolecular chains linked by covalent bonds-crosslinks - and physical interactions. The application of hydrogels, has been widely studied. Biodegradable synthetic or natural polymers such as chitosan, starch and poly-lactic-co-glycolic acid, have properties that allow the development of biodegradable systems for drug and nutraceutics delivery. This study aimed to develop polymeric hydrogels based on polyvinyl alcohol, polyacrylamide and polyvinylpyrrolidone using ionizing radiation in order to develop hydrogels for improved loading and release of compounds. Polymer solutions were solubilized in water and poured into thermoformed packages. After sealing, the material was subjected to γ-irradiation at 25kGy. The samples were assayed by means of mechanical properties, gel fraction and swelling degree. Nanostructure characterization was performed using Flory's equation to determine crosslinking density. The systems developed showed swelling degree and adequate mechanical resistance. The nanostructure evaluation showed different results for each system demonstrating the need of choosing the polymer based on the specific properties of each material. (author)

  13. Characterization and swelling-deswelling properties of wheat straw cellulose based semi-IPNs hydrogel.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Jia; Li, Qian; Su, Yuan; Yue, Qinyan; Gao, Baoyu

    2014-07-17

    A novel wheat straw cellulose-g-poly(potassium acrylate)/polyvinyl alcohol (WSC-g-PKA/PVA) semi-interpenetrating polymer networks (semi-IPNs) hydrogel was prepared by polymerizing wheat straw and an aqueous solution of acrylic acid (AA), and further semi-interpenetrating with PVA occurred during the chemosynthesis. The swelling and deswelling properties of WSC-g-PKA/PVA semi-IPNs hydrogel and WSC-g-PKA hydrogel were studied and compared in various pH solutions, salt solutions, temperatures, particle sizes and ionic strength. The results indicated that both hydrogels had the largest swelling capacity at pH=6, and the effect of ions on the swelling of hydrogels was in the order: Na(+)>K(+)>Mg(2+)>Ca(2+). The Schott's pseudo second order model can be effectively used to evaluate swelling kinetics of hydrogels. Moreover, the semi-IPNs hydrogel had improved swelling-deswelling properties compared with that of WSC-g-PKA hydrogel. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. Development of a radiochromic ferric oligomer hydrogel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Jordan, Kevin; Sekimoto, Masaya

    2010-01-01

    Ferrous gelatin hydrogels were prepared by using sulphuric acid concentrations lower than required to maintain radiation induced ferric ions fully hydrated. The ferric hydroxyl species that are produced following irradiation exhibit a radiochromic response that can be probed with blue light. The dose distribution shapes were stable in time, indicating no long term diffusion. An over response to dose gradients was observed both in one centimeter cuvette samples and litre volumes probed with optical cone beam CT. This ferrous hydrogel may represent a model system for studying iron radiochemistry in biological systems.

  15. Evaluation of Gentamicin and Lidocaine Release Profile from Gum Acacia-crosslinked-poly(2-hydroxyethylmethacrylate)-carbopol Based Hydrogels.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Singh, Baljit; Dhiman, Abhishek

    2017-01-01

    No doubt, the prevention of infection is an indispensable aspect of the wound management, but, simultaneous wound pain relief is also required. Therefore, herein this article, incorporation of antibiotic agent 'gentamicin' and pain relieving agent 'lidocaine' into hydrogel wound dressings, prepared by using acacia gum, carbopol and poly(2-hydroxyethylmethacrylate) polymers, has been carried out. The hydrogels were evaluated as a drug carrier for model drugs gentamicin and lidocaine. Synthesis of hydrogel wound dressing was carried out by free radical polymerization technique. The drug loading was carried out by swelling equilibrium method and gel strength of hydrogels was measured by a texture analyzer. Porous microstructure of the hydrogel was observed in cryo-SEM images. The hydrogel showed mesh size 37.29 nm, cross-link density 2.19× 10-5 mol/cm3, molecular weight between two cross-links 60.25× 10-3 g/mol and gel strength 0.625±0.112 N in simulated wound fluid. It is concluded that the pH of swelling medium has influenced the network structure of hydrogel i.e., molecular weight of the polymer chain between two neighboring cross links, crosslink density and the corresponding mesh size. A good correlation was established between gel strength and network parameters. Cryo-SEM images showed porous morphology of hydrogels. These hydrogels were found to be biodegradable and antimicrobial in nature. Drug release occurred through Fickian diffusion mechanism and release profile was best fitted in first order model. Overall it is concluded that modification in GA has led to formation of a porous hydrogels for wound dressing applications. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.

  16. Study on antibacterial activity of hydrogel from irradiated silk protein

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bunnak, J.; Chaisupakitsin, M.

    2001-01-01

    Hydrogels for biomedical application were prepared from solution blends of 3% silk protein and 3%, 10% poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and followed with irradiation. Mixture of hydrogels were gamma irradiated at 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 kGy under N 2 atmosphere. To clarify anti-bacterial activity of hydrogels, modified of the Agar disk diffusion method and American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists, AATCC Test Method 90-1977, were carried out. The four kinds of bacteria such as Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis, were used. It was found that a 1:3 volume ratio of 3% silk protein and 3% PVA respectively, at 50 kGy irradiation, is suitable conditions for preparation hydrogels and trend to indicate the highest of an antibacterial activity against E. coli, B. subtilis and S. aureus. However the antibacterial activity of hydrogels against S. epidermidis was not clearly. These results are very useful to expand the application of hydrogel from irradiated silk protein to the medical products. (author)

  17. Study on antibacterial activity of hydrogel from irradiated silk protein

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bunnak, J; Chaisupakitsin, M [King Mongkut' s Institute of Technology Lardkrabang, Bangkok (Thailand)

    2001-03-01

    Hydrogels for biomedical application were prepared from solution blends of 3% silk protein and 3%, 10% poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and followed with irradiation. Mixture of hydrogels were gamma irradiated at 10, 20, 30, 40 and 50 kGy under N{sub 2} atmosphere. To clarify anti-bacterial activity of hydrogels, modified of the Agar disk diffusion method and American Association of Textile Chemists and Colorists, AATCC Test Method 90-1977, were carried out. The four kinds of bacteria such as Escherichia coli, Bacillus subtilis, Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis, were used. It was found that a 1:3 volume ratio of 3% silk protein and 3% PVA respectively, at 50 kGy irradiation, is suitable conditions for preparation hydrogels and trend to indicate the highest of an antibacterial activity against E. coli, B. subtilis and S. aureus. However the antibacterial activity of hydrogels against S. epidermidis was not clearly. These results are very useful to expand the application of hydrogel from irradiated silk protein to the medical products. (author)

  18. Formulation and evaluation of microemulsion-based hydrogel for topical delivery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sabale, Vidya; Vora, Sejal

    2012-07-01

    The purpose of this study was to develop microemulsion-based hydrogel formulation for topical delivery of bifonazole with an objective to increase the solubility and skin permeability of the drug. Oleic acid was screened as the oil phase of microemulsions, due to a good solubilizing capacity of the microemulison systems. The pseudo-ternary phase diagrams for microemulsion regions were constructed using oleic acid as the oil, Tween 80 as the surfactant and isopropyl alcohol (IPA) as the cosurfactant. Various microemulsion formulations were prepared and optimized by 3(2) factorial design on the basis of percentage (%) transmittance, globule size, zeta potential, drug release, and skin permeability. The abilities of various microemulsions to deliver bifonazole through the skin were evaluated ex vivo using Franz diffusion cells fitted with rat skins. The Hydroxy Propyl Methyl Cellulose (HPMC) K100 M as a gel matrix was used to construct the microemulsion-based hydrogel for improving the viscosity of microemulsion for topical administration. The optimized microemulsion-based hydrogel was evaluated for viscosity, spreadability, skin irritancy, skin permeability, stability, and antifungal activity by comparing it with marketed bifonazole cream. The mechanism of drug release from microemulsion-based hydrogel was observed to follow zero order kinetics. The studied optimized microemulsion-based hydrogel showed a good stability over the period of 3 months. Average globule size of optimized microemulsion (F5) was found to be 18.98 nm, zeta potential was found to be -5.56 mv, and permeability of drug from microemulsion within 8 h was observed 84%. The antifungal activity of microemulsion-based hydrogel was found to be comparable with marketed cream. The results indicate that the studied microemulsion-based hydrogel (F5) has a potential for sustained action of drug release and it may act as promising vehicle for topical delivery of ibuprofen.

  19. Biodegradation of PVP-CMC hydrogel film: a useful food packaging material.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Roy, Niladri; Saha, Nabanita; Kitano, Takeshi; Saha, Petr

    2012-06-20

    Hydrogels can offer new opportunities for the design of efficient packaging materials with desirable properties (i.e. durability, biodegradability and mechanical strength). It is a promising and emerging concept, as most of the biopolymer based hydrogels are supposed to be biodegradable, they can be considered as alternative eco-friendly packaging materials. This article reports about synthetic (polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)) and biopolymer (carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC)) based a novel hydrogel film and its nature of biodegradability under controlled environmental condition. The dry hydrogel films were prepared by solution casting method and designated as 'PVP-CMC hydrogel films'. The hydrogel film containing PVP and CMC in a ratio of 20:80 shows best mechanical properties among all the test samples (i.e. 10:90, 20:80, 50:50, 80:20 and 90:10). Thus, PVP-CMC hydrogel film of 20:80 was considered as a useful food packaging material and further experiments were carried out with this particular hydrogel film. Biodegradation of the PVP-CMC hydrogel films were studied in liquid state (Czapec-Dox liquid medium+soil extracts) until 8 weeks. Variation in mechanical, viscoelastic properties and weight loss of the hydrogel films with time provide the direct evidence of biodegradation of the hydrogels. About 38% weight loss was observed within 8 weeks. FTIR spectra of the hydrogel films (before and after biodegradation) show shifts of the peaks and also change in the peak intensities, which refer to the physico-chemical change in the hydrogel structure and SEM views of the hydrogels show how internal structure of the PVP-CMC film changes in the course of biodegradation. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. The Influence of Stabilized Deconjugated Ursodeoxycholic Acid on Polymer-Hydrogel System of Transplantable NIT-1 Cells.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mooranian, Armin; Negrulj, Rebecca; Al-Salami, Hani

    2016-05-01

    The encapsulation of pancreatic β-cells in biocompatible matrix has generated great interest in diabetes treatment. Our work has shown improved microcapsules when incorporating the bile acid ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA), in terms of morphology and cell viability although cell survival remained low. Thus, the study aimed at incorporating the polyelectrolytes polyallylamine (PAA) and poly-l-ornithine (PLO), with the polymer sodium alginate (SA) and the hydrogel ultrasonic gel (USG) with UDCA and examined cell viability and functionality post microencapsulation. Microcapsules without (control) and with UDCA (test) were produced using 1% PLO, 2.5% PAA, 1.8% SA and 4.5% USG. Pancreatic β-cells were microencapsulated and the microcapsules' morphology, surface components, cellular and bile acid distribution, osmotic and mechanical stability as well as biocompatibilities, insulin production, bioenergetics and the inflammatory response were tested. Incorporation of UDCA at 4% into a PLO-PAA-SA formulation system increased cell survival (p acid UDCA (4%) has good potential in cell transplantation and diabetes treatment.

  1. PIXE investigation of in-vitro release of chloramphenicol across polyvinyl alcohol/ acrylamide hydrogel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rihawi, M.; Al-Zeer, A.; Allaf, A.

    2012-01-01

    Hydrogels based on polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) and different amounts of acrylamide monomer (AAm) were prepared by thermal crosslinking process in solid state. The PVA/AAm hydrogels were investigated for drug delivery system applications. Chloramphenicol was adopted as a model drug to study its release behaviour across the prepared hydrogels. Particle induced X-ray emission (PIXE) analytical technique was utilized to study the drug release behaviour across the hydrogels. A comparison study between PIXE and UV measurements was performed. FTIR measurements were carried out to perform the molecular characterization. The releasing behaviour of the drug across the hydrogels demonstrates a decrease and a subsequent increase in the drug release rate, as the AAm amount increases. The FTIR characterization of the prepared hydrogels has shown a competitive behaviour between the crosslinking of PVA with AAm monomer or oligomerized AAm, depending on the amount of AAm added to prepare the PVA/AAm hydrogels. (author)

  2. Cadmium sulfide quantum dots/poly(acrylic acid-co-acrylic amide) composite hydrogel synthesized by gamma irradiation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Tao; Li, Qing; Wen, Wanxin; Hu, Liang; He, Weiwei; Liu, Hanzhou

    2018-04-01

    To improve the durability and stability of quantum dots (QDs) in the composite hydrogel, an irradiation induced reduction and polymerization-crosslinking method was reported herein where CdS QDs could be synthesized in situ and fastened to polymer chains due to the coordination forces between amino groups and CdS nanoparticles. The morphology and photoluminescence (PL) property of the composite hydrogel were studied. The result indicated that the CdS QDs with uniform size were dispersed evenly in the composite hydrogel, and the introduced CdS QDs had no obvious effect on the hydrogel structure. With the increases of reagent concentrations, PL intensity of the composite hydrogel was enhanced; however, the emission wavelength had no change.

  3. Viscoelastic and fractal characteristics of a supramolecular hydrogel hybridized with clay nanoparticles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Song, Fei; Zhang, Li-Ming; Shi, Jun-Feng; Li, Nan-Nan

    2010-12-01

    The supramolecular hydrogels derived from low-molecular-mass gelators represent a unique class of soft matters and have important potential applications in biomedical fields, separation technology and cosmetic science. However, they suffer usually from weak mechanical and viscoelastic properties. In this work, we carry out the in situ hybridization of clay nanoparticles (Laponite RD) into the supramolecular hydrogel formed from a low-molecular-mass hydrogelator, 2,6-di[N-(carboxyethyl carbonyl)amino]pyridine (DAP), and investigate the viscoelastic and structural characteristics of resultant hybrid hydrogel. It was found that a small concentration of Laponite RD could lead to a significant increase in the storage modulus, loss modulus or complex viscosity. Compared with neat DAP hydrogel, the hybrid hydrogel has a greater hydrogel strength and a lower relaxation exponent. In particular, the enhancement of the clay nanoparticles to the viscoelastic properties of the DAP hydrogel is more effective in the case of higher DAP concentration. By relating its macroscopic elastic properties to a scaling fractal model, such a hybrid hydrogel was confirmed to be in the strong-link regime and to have a more complex network structure with a higher fractal dimension when compared with neat DAP hydrogel. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. Synthesis, characterization and rheological behavior of pH sensitive poly(acrylamide-co-acrylic acid hydrogels

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Seddiki Nesrinne

    2017-05-01

    Results indicated that the strong interaction in the hydrogels resulted in the formation of a more stable copolymer. The single glass transition temperature (Tg in sample suggested that the two polymers into the hydrogel have a good miscibility. The elastic modulus (G′ and linear viscoelastic region increased with increase in PAAc concentration. The oscillation time sweep study of the hydrogels exhibited a flat G′ indicating a stable structure and good mechanical strength. In the swelling measurements, the gels exhibited appreciable water uptake and were highly sensitive to pH environment. So the poly(AAm-co-AAc hydrogel will have promising application in pharmaceutical use and in biomaterials.

  5. Advances in the Fabrication of Antimicrobial Hydrogels for Biomedical Applications

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Carmen M. González-Henríquez

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available This review describes, in an organized manner, the recent developments in the elaboration of hydrogels that possess antimicrobial activity. The fabrication of antibacterial hydrogels for biomedical applications that permits cell adhesion and proliferation still remains as an interesting challenge, in particular for tissue engineering applications. In this context, a large number of studies has been carried out in the design of hydrogels that serve as support for antimicrobial agents (nanoparticles, antibiotics, etc.. Another interesting approach is to use polymers with inherent antimicrobial activity provided by functional groups contained in their structures, such as quaternary ammonium salt or hydrogels fabricated from antimicrobial peptides (AMPs or natural polymers, such as chitosan. A summary of the different alternatives employed for this purpose is described in this review, considering their advantages and disadvantages. Finally, more recent methodologies that lead to more sophisticated hydrogels that are able to react to external stimuli are equally depicted in this review.

  6. Desmosine-Inspired Cross-Linkers for Hyaluronan Hydrogels

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hagel, Valentin; Mateescu, Markus; Southan, Alexander; Wegner, Seraphine V.; Nuss, Isabell; Haraszti, Tamás; Kleinhans, Claudia; Schuh, Christian; Spatz, Joachim P.; Kluger, Petra J.; Bach, Monika; Tussetschläger, Stefan; Tovar, Günter E. M.; Laschat, Sabine; Boehm, Heike

    2013-06-01

    We designed bioinspired cross-linkers based on desmosine, the cross-linker in natural elastin, to prepare hydrogels with thiolated hyaluronic acid. These short, rigid cross-linkers are based on pyridinium salts (as in desmosine) and can connect two polymer backbones. Generally, the obtained semi-synthetic hydrogels are form-stable, can withstand repeated stress, have a large linear-elastic range, and show strain stiffening behavior typical for biopolymer networks. In addition, it is possible to introduce a positive charge to the core of the cross-linker without affecting the gelation efficiency, or consequently the network connectivity. However, the mechanical properties strongly depend on the charge of the cross-linker. The properties of the presented hydrogels can thus be tuned in a range important for engineering of soft tissues by controlling the cross-linking density and the charge of the cross-linker.

  7. Photocrosslinked alginate with hyaluronic acid hydrogels as vehicles for mesenchymal stem cell encapsulation and chondrogenesis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Coates, Emily E; Riggin, Corinne N; Fisher, John P

    2013-07-01

    Ionic crosslinking of alginate via divalent cations allows for high viability of an encapsulated cell population, and is an effective biomaterial for supporting a spherical chondrocyte morphology. However, such crosslinking chemistry does not allow for injectable and stable hydrogels which are more appropriate for clinical applications. In this study, the addition of methacrylate groups to the alginate polymer chains was utilized so as to allow the free radical polymerization initiated by a photoinitiator during UV light exposure. This approach establishes covalent crosslinks between methacrylate groups instead of the ionic crosslinks formed by the calcium in unmodified alginate. Although this approach has been well described in the literature, there are currently no reports of stem cell differentiation and subsequent chondrocyte gene expression profiles in photocrosslinked alginate. In this study, we demonstrate the utility of photocrosslinked alginate hydrogels containing interpenetrating hyaluronic acid chains to support stem cell chondrogenesis. We report high cell viability and no statistical difference in metabolic activity between mesenchymal stem cells cultured in calcium crosslinked alginate and photocrosslinked alginate for up to 10 days of culture. Furthermore, chondrogenic gene markers are expressed throughout the study, and indicate robust differentiation up to the day 14 time point. At early time points, days 1 and 7, the addition of hyaluronic acid to the photocrosslinked scaffolds upregulates gene markers for both the chondrocyte and the superficial zone chondrocyte phenotype. Taken together, we show that photocrosslinked, injectable alginate shows significant potential as a delivery mechanism for cell-based cartilage repair therapies. Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  8. Mechano-responsive hydrogels crosslinked by reactive block copolymer micelles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xiao, Longxi

    Hydrogels are crosslinked polymeric networks that can swell in water without dissolution. Owing to their structural similarity to the native extracelluar matrices, hydrogels have been widely used in biomedical applications. Synthetic hydrogels have been designed to respond to various stimuli, but mechanical signals have not incorporated into hydrogel matrices. Because most tissues in the body are subjected to various types of mechanical forces, and cells within these tissues have sophisticated mechano-transduction machinery, this thesis is focused on developing hydrogel materials with built-in mechano-sensing mechanisms for use as tissue engineering scaffolds or drug release devices. Self-assembled block copolymer micelles (BCMs) with reactive handles were employed as the nanoscopic crosslinkers for the construction of covalently crosslinked networks. BCMs were assembled from amphiphilic diblock copolymers of poly(n-butyl acrylate) and poly(acrylic acid) partially modified with acrylate. Radical polymerization of acrylamide in the presence of micellar crosslinkers gave rise to elastomeric hydrogels whose mechanical properties can be tuned by varying the BCM composition and concentration. TEM imaging revealed that the covalently integrated BCMs underwent strain-dependent reversible deformation. A model hydrophobic drug, pyrene, loaded into the core of BCMs prior to the hydrogel formation, was dynamically released in response to externally applied mechanical forces, through force-induced reversible micelle deformation and the penetration of water molecules into the micelle core. The mechano-responsive hydrogel has been studied for tissue repair and regeneration purposes. Glycidyl methacrylate (GMA)-modified hyaluronic acid (HA) was photochemically crosslinked in the presence of dexamethasone (DEX)-loaded crosslinkable BCMs. The resultant HA gels (HAxBCM) contain covalently integrated micellar compartments with DEX being sequestered in the hydrophobic core. Compared

  9. Development of novel hydrogels by modification of sterculia gum through radiation cross-linking polymerization for use in drug delivery

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Singh, Baljit; Vashishtha, Manu

    2008-01-01

    In order to modify the sterculia gum polysaccharide, to develop the hydrogels meant for the drug delivery, we have prepared sterculia gum, 2-hydroxyethylmethacrylate (HEMA) and acrylic acid (AAc) based hydrogels by radiation-induced crosslinking polymerization. Polymeric networks (hydrogels) thus formed were characterized with SEMs, FTIR,TGA and swelling studies which were carried out as a function monomers concentration, radiation dose, amount of sterculia contents in the polymer matrix and nature of the swelling medium. This paper discusses the swelling kinetics of the hydrogels and release dynamics of anti-diarrhea model drug ornidazole from the hydrogels to evaluation of swelling and drug release mechanism. Diffusion exponent 'n' have 0.73, 0.56 and 0.61 values and gel characteristic constant 'k' have 1.28 x 10 -2 , 2.95 x 10 -2 and 2.14 x 10 -2 values in distilled water, pH 2.2 buffer and pH 7.4 buffer. The release of drug from the polymer matrix occurred through non-Fickian diffusion mechanism. The values for the late time diffusion coefficients have been lower than the values of initial and average diffusion coefficients. It reflects that in the initial stages rate of release of drug from polymer matrix was higher as compared to the late stages, it means after certain time the drug release occurred in controlled manner

  10. Proliferation and osteoblastic differentiation of hMSCs on cellulose-based hydrogels.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Raucci, Maria Grazia; Alvarez-Perez, Marco Antonio; Demitri, Christian; Sannino, Alessandro; Ambrosio, Luigi

    2012-01-01

    The aim of this project was to study the proliferation and differentiation of human Mesenchymal Stem Cells (hMSCs) onto a cellulose-based hydrogel for bone tissue engineering. Modified-cellulose hydrogel was prepared via double esterification crosslinking using citric acid. The response of human Mesenchymal Stem Cells (hMSCs) in terms of cell proliferation and differentiation into osteoblastic phenotype was evaluated by using Alamar blue assay and Alkaline phosphatase activity. The results showed that CMCNa and CMCNa_CA have no negative effect on hMSC, adhesion and proliferation. Moreover, the increase of the ALP expression for CMCNa_CA confirms the ability of the hydrogels to support the osteoblastic differentiation. The cellulose-based hydrogels have a potential application as filler in bone tissue regeneration.

  11. Preparation and characterization of oil palm frond based cellulose hydrogel and its swelling properties

    Science.gov (United States)

    Selvakumaran, Nesha; Lazim, Mohd Azwani Shah bin Mat

    2016-11-01

    Malaysia is one of the largest producer of palm oil thus the quantity of biomass each year from this industry is very large. The oil palm frond from palm oil industry can be used as a source of cellulose which can be incorporated into hydrogel to be used as adsorbent. This research reported how to disperse 2 % cellulose in a `green-solution' prepared by using urea and sodium hydroxide. Polymerization is carried out between the monomers polyacrylamide and cellulose using microwave to form hydrogel. Hydrogel with 2 % cellulose have a swelling index of 1814 %. Meanwhile, zero hydrogel which is made with only polyacrylamide has swelling index of 15 %. Scanning electron microscope shows that cellulose hydrogel have a rough surface compared with zero hydrogel. This might attribute to the high swelling index for cellulose hydrogel compared with zero hydrogel. Meanwhile, FTIR shows that successful polymerization has occurred between polyacrylamide and cellulose with the characteristic band at 1657.99 cm-1 which is for N-H bond.

  12. Temperature responsive hydrogel magnetic nanocomposites for hyperthermia and metal extraction applications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Reddy, N. Narayana, E-mail: nagireddynarayana@gmail.com [Center for Advanced Biomaterials for Healthcare, Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia@CRIB, Largo Barsanti e Matteucci 53, 80125 Napoli (Italy); Ravindra, S. [Department of Physics, College of Science, Engineering and Technology, University of South Africa, Johannesburg 1709 (South Africa); Reddy, N. Madhava [Department of Environmental Science, Gates Institute of Technology, NH-7, Gooty, Anantapuram, Andhra Pradesh (India); Rajinikanth, V. [Department of Physics, College of Science, Engineering and Technology, University of South Africa, Johannesburg 1709 (South Africa); Raju, K. Mohana [Synthetic Polymer Laboratory, Department of Polymer Science & Technology, S.K. University, Anantapuram, Andhra Pradesh (India); Vallabhapurapu, Vijaya Srinivasu [Department of Physics, College of Science, Engineering and Technology, University of South Africa, Johannesburg 1709 (South Africa)

    2015-11-15

    The present work deals with the development of temperature and magnetic responsive hydrogel networks based on poly (N-isopropylacrylamide)/acrylamido propane sulfonic acid. The hydrogel matrices are synthesized by polymerizing N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM) monomer in the presence of acrylamido propane sulphonicacid (AMPS) using a cross-linker (N,N-methylenebisacrylamide, MBA) and redox initiating system [ammonium persulphate (APS)/tetramethylethylenediamine (TMEDA)]. The magnetic nanoparticles are generated throughout the hydrogel networks using in situ method by incorporating iron ions and subsequent treatment with ammonia. A series of hydrogel-magnetic nanocomposites (HGMNC) are developed by varying AMPS composition. The synthesized hydrogel magnetic nanocomposites (HGMNC) are characterized by using Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Thermal Analyses and Electron Microscopy analysis (Scanning and Transmission Electron Microscope). The metal extraction capacities of the prepared hydrogel (HG) and hydrogel magnetic nanocomposites (HGMNC) were studied at different temperatures. The results suggest that HGMNCs have higher extraction capacity compared to HG and HG loaded iron ions. This data also reveals that the extraction of metals by hydrogel magnetic nanocomposites (HGMNCs) is higher at higher temperatures than room temperature. The prepared HGMNCs are also subjected to hyperthermia (cancer therapy) studies. - Highlights: • We have developed temperature responsive hydrogel magnetic nanocomposites. • Addition of AMPS monomer to this magnetic hydrogel enhances the temperature sensitivity to 40–43 °C. • Similarly the sulfonic groups present in the AMPS units enhances the swelling ratio of magnetic hydrogels. • AMPS acts as good stabilizing agent for nanoparticles in the magnetic nanogel.

  13. Temperature responsive hydrogel magnetic nanocomposites for hyperthermia and metal extraction applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Reddy, N. Narayana; Ravindra, S.; Reddy, N. Madhava; Rajinikanth, V.; Raju, K. Mohana; Vallabhapurapu, Vijaya Srinivasu

    2015-01-01

    The present work deals with the development of temperature and magnetic responsive hydrogel networks based on poly (N-isopropylacrylamide)/acrylamido propane sulfonic acid. The hydrogel matrices are synthesized by polymerizing N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM) monomer in the presence of acrylamido propane sulphonicacid (AMPS) using a cross-linker (N,N-methylenebisacrylamide, MBA) and redox initiating system [ammonium persulphate (APS)/tetramethylethylenediamine (TMEDA)]. The magnetic nanoparticles are generated throughout the hydrogel networks using in situ method by incorporating iron ions and subsequent treatment with ammonia. A series of hydrogel-magnetic nanocomposites (HGMNC) are developed by varying AMPS composition. The synthesized hydrogel magnetic nanocomposites (HGMNC) are characterized by using Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Thermal Analyses and Electron Microscopy analysis (Scanning and Transmission Electron Microscope). The metal extraction capacities of the prepared hydrogel (HG) and hydrogel magnetic nanocomposites (HGMNC) were studied at different temperatures. The results suggest that HGMNCs have higher extraction capacity compared to HG and HG loaded iron ions. This data also reveals that the extraction of metals by hydrogel magnetic nanocomposites (HGMNCs) is higher at higher temperatures than room temperature. The prepared HGMNCs are also subjected to hyperthermia (cancer therapy) studies. - Highlights: • We have developed temperature responsive hydrogel magnetic nanocomposites. • Addition of AMPS monomer to this magnetic hydrogel enhances the temperature sensitivity to 40–43 °C. • Similarly the sulfonic groups present in the AMPS units enhances the swelling ratio of magnetic hydrogels. • AMPS acts as good stabilizing agent for nanoparticles in the magnetic nanogel

  14. PIXE investigation of in vitro release of chloramphenicol across polyvinyl alcohol/acrylamide hydrogel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rihawy, M.S.; Alzier, A.; Allaf, A.W.

    2011-01-01

    Hydrogels based on polyvinyl alcohol and different amounts of acrylamide monomer were prepared by thermal cross-linking in the solid state. The hydrogels were investigated for drug delivery system applications. Chloramphenicol was adopted as a model drug to study its release behavior. Particle induced X-ray emission was utilized to study the drug release behavior across the hydrogels and a comparison study with ultraviolet measurements was performed. Fourier Transform Infrared measurements were carried out for molecular characterization. The releasing behavior of the drug exhibits a decrease and a subsequent increase in the release rate, as the acrylamide monomer increases. Characterization of the hydrogels has shown a competitive behavior between crosslinking with AAm acrylamide monomer or oligomerized version, depending on the amount added to prepare the hydrogels.

  15. Effective removal of cationic dyes from aqueous solution using gum ghatti-based biodegradable hydrogel

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Mittal, H

    2015-08-01

    Full Text Available Biodegradable hydrogels of gum ghatti (Gg) with a co-polymer mixture of acrylamide (AAm) and methacrylic acid (MAA) (termed as Gg-cl-P(AAm-co-MAA)) were synthesised by microwave-assisted free radical graft co-polymerisation technique. The hydrogel...

  16. Phase separation of in situ forming poly (lactide-co-glycolide acid) implants investigated using a hydrogel-based subcutaneous tissue surrogate and UV-vis imaging.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sun, Yu; Jensen, Henrik; Petersen, Nickolaj J; Larsen, Susan W; Østergaard, Jesper

    2017-10-25

    Phase separation of in situ forming poly (lactide-co-glycolide acid) (PLGA) implants with agarose hydrogels as the provider of nonsolvent (water) mimicking subcutaneous tissue was investigated using a novel UV-vis imaging-based analytical platform. In situ forming implants of PLGA-1-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone and PLGA-triacetin representing fast and slow phase separating systems, respectively, were evaluated using this platform. Upon contact with the agarose hydrogel, the phase separation of the systems was followed by the study of changes in light transmission and absorbance as a function of time and position. For the PLGA-1-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone system, the rate of spatial phase separation was determined and found to decrease with increasing the PLGA concentration from 20% to 40% (w/w). Hydrogels with different agarose concentrations (1% and 10% (w/v)) were prepared for providing the nonsolvent, water, to the in situ forming PLGA implants simulating the injection site environment. The resulting implant morphology depended on the stiffness of hydrogel matrix, indicating that the matrix in which implants are formed is of importance. Overall, the work showed that the UV-vis imaging-based platform with an agarose hydrogel mimicking the subcutaneous tissue holds potential in providing bio-relevant and mechanistic information on the phase separation processes of in situ forming implants. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  17. Physical-chemical characterization of different hydrogels Formulations

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rodriguez, Y.; Romero, M.; Soler, I.; Saldivar, D.

    2001-01-01

    They were carried out swelling studies at 37 0C of different hydrogels formulations whose composition was the following one: 3% PEG-1000, 1% Agar and concentrations of PVP and NVP 7, 10 and 14% and a maximum thickness of 2 mm, this formulations were irradiated to 25 kGy in a self-shield irradiator of 60Co and the same time studies of the mechanical properties. It was obtained that the hydrogels of PVP absorbs more water than those of NVP. It was described pseudo-Fickian s kinetic whose exponent diffusional is in the following range: 0.5 0.6

  18. Hydrogel based occlusion systems

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Stam, F.A.; Jackson, N.; Dubruel, P.; Adesanya, K.; Embrechts, A.; Mendes, E.; Neves, H.P.; Herijgers, P.; Verbrugghe, Y.; Shacham, Y.; Engel, L.; Krylov, V.

    2013-01-01

    A hydrogel based occlusion system, a method for occluding vessels, appendages or aneurysms, and a method for hydrogel synthesis are disclosed. The hydrogel based occlusion system includes a hydrogel having a shrunken and a swollen state and a delivery tool configured to deliver the hydrogel to a

  19. Physicochemical properties of pH-sensitive hydrogels based on hydroxyethyl cellulose-hyaluronic acid and for applications as transdermal delivery systems for skin lesions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kwon, Soon Sik; Kong, Bong Ju; Park, Soo Nam

    2015-05-01

    We investigated the physicochemical properties of pH-sensitive hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC)/hyaluronic acid (HA) complex hydrogels containing isoliquiritigenin (ILTG), and discussed potential applications as transdermal delivery systems for the treatment of skin lesions caused by pH imbalance. HA has skin compatibility and pH functional groups and HEC serves as scaffold to build hydrogels with varied HCE:HA mass ratio. Hydrogels were synthesized via chemical cross-linking, and three-dimensional network structures were characterized via scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The swelling properties and polymer ratios of the hydrogels were investigated at pH values in the range 1-13. HECHA13 (i.e., an HEC:HA mass ratio of 1:3) was found to have optimal rheological and adhesive properties, and was used to investigate the drug release efficiency as a function of pH; the efficiency was greater than 70% at pH 7. Antimicrobial activity assays against Propionibacterium acnes were conducted to take advantage of the pH-sensitive properties of HECHA13. At pH 7, we found that HECHA13, which contained ILTG, inhibited the growth of P. acnes. Furthermore, HECHA13 was found to exhibit excellent permeability into the skin, which penetrated mostly via the hair follicle. These results indicate that this pH-sensitive hydrogel is effective as a transdermal delivery system for antimicrobial therapeutics, with potential applications in the treatment of acne. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  20. Hydrogel formulation determines cell fate of fetal and adult neural progenitor cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Emily R. Aurand

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Hydrogels provide a unique tool for neural tissue engineering. These materials can be customized for certain functions, i.e. to provide cell/drug delivery or act as a physical scaffold. Unfortunately, hydrogel complexities can negatively impact their biocompatibility, resulting in unintended consequences. These adverse effects may be combated with a better understanding of hydrogel chemical, physical, and mechanical properties, and how these properties affect encapsulated neural cells. We defined the polymerization and degradation rates and compressive moduli of 25 hydrogels formulated from different concentrations of hyaluronic acid (HA and poly(ethylene glycol (PEG. Changes in compressive modulus were driven primarily by the HA concentration. The in vitro biocompatibility of fetal-derived (fNPC and adult-derived (aNPC neural progenitor cells was dependent on hydrogel formulation. Acute survival of fNPC benefited from hydrogel encapsulation. NPC differentiation was divergent: fNPC differentiated into mostly glial cells, compared with neuronal differentiation of aNPC. Differentiation was influenced in part by the hydrogel mechanical properties. This study indicates that there can be a wide range of HA and PEG hydrogels compatible with NPC. Additionally, this is the first study comparing hydrogel encapsulation of NPC derived from different aged sources, with data suggesting that fNPC and aNPC respond dissimilarly within the same hydrogel formulation.

  1. Determination of work of adhesion of gelatin hydrogels on a glass substrate

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thakre, Avinash A.; Singh, Arun K.

    2018-04-01

    In this article, work of adhesion (w adh ) of soft gelatin hydrogels on a smooth glass substrate is determined experimentally using the wedge adhesion test. The results showed that w adh decreases with the increase in gelatin concentration in the hydrogels but the same is found to be independent of thickness of hydrogel specimen. These results are used further for establishing a scaling law between w adh and mesh size (ξ) of the three dimensional structure present in the hydrogel as w adh ∼ ξ 8.6. Finite element analysis is also carried out for validating the fracture stability of wedge test in view of analytical prediction. At the end, practical significance of the present study is also discussed.

  2. An interpenetrating HA/G/CS biomimic hydrogel via Diels-Alder click chemistry for cartilage tissue engineering.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yu, Feng; Cao, Xiaodong; Zeng, Lei; Zhang, Qing; Chen, Xiaofeng

    2013-08-14

    In order to mimic the natural cartilage extracellular matrix, a novel biological degradable interpenetrating network hydrogel was synthesized from the gelatin (G), hyaluronic acid (HA) and chondroitin sulfate (CS) by Diels-Alder "click" chemistry. HA was modified with furylamine and G was modified with furancarboxylic acid respectively. (1)H NMR spectra and elemental analysis showed that the substitution degrees of HA-furan and G-furan were 71.5% and 44.5%. Then the hydrogels were finally synthesized by cross-linking furan-modified HA and G derivatives with dimaleimide poly(ethylene glycol) (MAL-PEG-MAL). The mechanical and degradation properties of the hydrogels could be tuned simply through varying the molar ratio between furan and maleimide. Rheological, mechanical and degradation studies demonstrated that the Diels-Alder "click" chemistry is an efficient method for preparing high performance biological interpenetrating hydrogels. This biomimic hydrogel with improved mechanical properties could have great potential applications in cartilage tissue engineering. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  3. A composite hydrogels-based photonic crystal multi-sensor

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Chen, Cheng; Zhu, Zhigang; Zhu, Xiangrong; Yu, Wei; Liu, Mingju; Ge, Qiaoqiao; Shih, Wei-Heng

    2015-01-01

    A facile route to prepare stimuli-sensitive poly(vinyl alcohol)/poly(acrylic acid) (PVA/PAA) gelated crystalline colloidal array photonic crystal material was developed. PVA was physically gelated by utilizing an ethanol-assisted method, the resulting hydrogel/crystal composite film was then functionalized with PAA to form an interpenetrating hydrogel film. This sensor film is able to efficiently diffract the visible light and rapidly respond to various environmental stimuli such as solvent, pH and strain, and the accompanying structural color shift can be repeatedly changed and easily distinguished by naked eye. (paper)

  4. Synthesis and Characterization of Superabsorbent Sodium Alginate-G-Poly (Potassium Acrylate Hydrogels Prepared By Using Gamma Irradiation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Erizal Erizal

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available The aim of this research was to use gamma rays as sources for the preparation of superabsorbent hydrogels through radiation induced copolymerization. A series of superabsorbent hydrogels were prepared from aqueous solution containing partially neutralized acrylic acid (15% with different sodium alginate (NaAlg concentrations (0.5% to 1.5% by ionizing gamma irradiation (10 kGy to 40 kGy at room temperature. The effect of NaAlg concentration and irradiation doses on the water absorption behavior of the obtained hydrogels was investigated. The structural changes of hydrogels were characterized using Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR whereas the morphologies of hydrogels were examined using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM. The results showed the swelling of hydrogel in water and NaCl solution increases with increasing NaAlg concentration and decreases with increasing irradiation dose up to 40 kGy. The extend of gel fraction increases as a function of NaAlg concentration. The results of FTIR analysis revealed that acrylic acid and sodium alginate had been successfully grafted, while SEM examination showed that the hydrogels demonstrated large numbers of pores.     

  5. Graphene oxide and hyperbranched polymer-toughened hydrogels with improved absorption properties and durability

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Yu, Yang; De Andrade, Leandro Carvalho Xavier; Fang, Liming

    2015-01-01

    Hyperbranched polymers or/and graphene oxide nanosheets were used to synthesize poly(acrylic acid)-based hybrid hydrogels with high water absorption ability, excellent mechanical properties, and environmental remediation abilities through a novel one-step, cost-effective, and environmentally...... friendly method. The combination of hyperbranched polymers and graphene oxide nanosheets had synergistic effects on the final hybrid hydrogel, especially on the mechanical behaviors of the hydrogels, with Young's modulus, tensile strength at break and elongation at break increasing by 69, 308, and 848...

  6. Significance of Glucose Addition on Chitosan-Glycerophosphate Hydrogel Properties

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dian Susanthy

    2016-03-01

    Full Text Available Chitosan-glycerophosphate hydrogel can be used as dental scaffold due to its thermosensitivity, gelation performance at body temperature, suitable acidity for body condition, biocompatibility, and ability to provide good environment for cell proliferation and differentiation. Previous study showed that glucose addition to the chitosan solution before steam sterilization improved its hydrogel mechanical strength. However, the effectiveness of glucose addition was still doubted because glucose might undergo Maillard reaction in that particular condition. The aims of this study are to confirm whether the glucose addition can increase the hydrogel mechanical strength and gelation rate effectively and also to compare their performance to be dental scaffold. This research was performed through several steps, namely preparation of chitosan-glycerophosphate solution, addition of glucose, gelation time test, gel mechanical strength measurement, functional group analysis, and physical properties measurements (pH, viscosity, and pore size. The result showed that glucose addition did not improve the hydrogel mechanical strength and gelation rate, neither when it was added before nor after steam sterilization. Glucose addition before steam sterilization seemed to trigger Maillard reaction or browning effect, while glucose addition after steam sterilization increased the amount of free water molecules in the hydrogel. Chitosan and glycerophosphate interact physically, but interaction between chitosan and glucose seems to occur chemically and followed by the formation of free water molecules. Glucose addition decreases the solution viscosity and hydrogel pore size so the hydrogel performance as dental scaffold is lowered.

  7. Recovery of waste dyes, pesticides and detergents by using hydrogels prepared by gamma irradiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ibrahim, M.S.; Abde-Aal, S.E.; Nizam El-Din, H.M.M.

    2000-01-01

    Hydrogels have been prepared by irradiation acrylic acid and glycerol using methanol and water as solvents. Another sample was prepared with methanol only. The application of the prepared two hydrogels used for recovery of some reactive, acid and direct dyes and also recovery two different pesticides and detergents from wastewater were studies. The hydrogels complexes with different pollutants have been isolated and methanol and water as solvent during polymerization has great adsorption towards dyes, pesticides and detergents than sample containing methanol only. The adsorption isotherm capacity of the two hydrogels was studies by the effect of temperature (20,30,40 degree C) on the adsorption capacity through the kinetic studies of adsorption. The adsorption capacity increase with rising temperature and thermodynamic parameters δH, δS and δG were determined. Also, the adsorption capacity is considerably affected by ph values (3,7 and 10). It was found that adsorption capacity increases in acid medium and decreases towards the alkaline medium for both dyes and pesticides, while the irreversible results was shown in case of anionic detergents. Frundlich equation of adsorption isotherm was applied in this work

  8. Microwave-enhanced synthesis of biodegradable multifunctional chitosan hydrogels for wastewater treatment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    M. Piatkowski

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available Chitosan, a derivative of chitin, is a biodegradable polymer known of its favorable properties, applicable in medicine and industry. Commonly obtained chitosan hydrogels are of various swelling capacity, and may bind only anions losing their susceptibility to biodegradation. Hydrogels are mostly obtained using toxic crosslinkers, which pollute environment due to waste generation during their synthesis. In the present article a novel, waste-free method for obtaining chitosan hydrogels under microwave irradiation, is described. Their chemical and morphological structure, swelling properties, sorption capability of a model dye and cadmium ions are described, and kinetic studies, were carried out. Biodegradability of the obtained hydrogels was investigated with the Sturm Test method. As a result, multifunctional chitosan hydrogels with both negative and positive surface charges and increased ability of anions and cations binding, were obtained. Materials were fully biodegradable, capable to absorb high amounts of water, as well as to remove various water contaminants.

  9. Biocompatible Amphiphilic Hydrogel-Solid Dimer Particles as Colloidal Surfactants.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Dong; Amstad, Esther; Zhao, Chun-Xia; Cai, Liheng; Fan, Jing; Chen, Qiushui; Hai, Mingtan; Koehler, Stephan; Zhang, Huidan; Liang, Fuxin; Yang, Zhenzhong; Weitz, David A

    2017-12-26

    Emulsions of two immiscible liquids can slowly coalesce over time when stabilized by surfactant molecules. Pickering emulsions stabilized by colloidal particles can be much more stable. Here, we fabricate biocompatible amphiphilic dimer particles using a hydrogel, a strongly hydrophilic material, and achieve large contrast in the wetting properties of the two bulbs, resulting in enhanced stabilization of emulsions. We generate monodisperse single emulsions of alginate and shellac solution in oil using a flow-focusing microfluidics device. Shellac precipitates from water and forms a solid bulb at the periphery of the droplet when the emulsion is exposed to acid. Molecular interactions result in amphiphilic dimer particles that consist of two joined bulbs: one hydrogel bulb of alginate in water and the other hydrophobic bulb of shellac. Alginate in the hydrogel compartment can be cross-linked using calcium cations to obtain stable particles. Analogous to surfactant molecules at the interface, the resultant amphiphilic particles stand at the water/oil interface with the hydrogel bulb submerged in water and the hydrophobic bulb in oil and are thus able to stabilize both water-in-oil and oil-in-water emulsions, making these amphiphilic hydrogel-solid particles ideal colloidal surfactants for various applications.

  10. Evaluation of Hydrogels Based on Poloxamer 407 and Polyacrylic ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    HP

    Keywords: Hydrogels, Gentamicin, Polyacrylic acid, Viscosity, Bioactivity, Poloxamer 407. Tropical Journal of Pharmaceutical Research is indexed by Science Citation Index (SciSearch), ... among others, have been made to determine its.

  11. Thermo-responsive hydrogels for intravitreal injection and biomolecule release

    Science.gov (United States)

    Drapala, Pawel

    In this dissertation, we develop an injectable polymer system to enable localized and prolonged release of therapeutic biomolecules for improved treatment of Age-Related Macular Degeneration (AMD). Thermo-responsive hydrogels derived from N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAm) and cross-linked with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) poly(L-Lactic acid) (PLLA) copolymer were synthesized via free-radical polymerization. These materials were investigated for (a) phase change behavior, (b) in-vitro degradation, (c) capacity for controlled drug delivery, and (d) biocompatibility. The volume-phase transition temperature (VPTT) of the PNIPAAm- co-PEG-b-PLLA hydrogels was adjusted using hydrophilic and hydrophobic moieties so that it is ca. 33°C. These hydrogels did not initially show evidence of degradation at 37°C due to physical cross-links of collapsed PNIPAAm. Only after addition of glutathione chain transfer agents (CTA)s to the precursor did the collapsed hydrogels become fully soluble at 37°C. CTAs significantly affected the release kinetics of biomolecules; addition of 1.0 mg/mL glutathione to 3 mM cross-linker accelerated hydrogel degradation, resulting in 100% release in less than 2 days. This work also explored the effect of PEGylation in order to tether biomolecules to the polymer matrix. It was demonstrated that non-site-specific PEGylation can postpone the burst release of solutes (up to 10 days in hydrogels with 0.5 mg/mL glutathione). Cell viability assays showed that at least two 20-minute buffer extraction steps were needed to remove cytotoxic elements from the hydrogels. Clinically-used therapeutic biomolecules LucentisRTM and AvastinRTM were demonstrated to be both stable and bioactive after release form PNIPAAm-co-PEG-b-PLLA hydrogels. The thermo-responsive hydrogels presented here offer a promising platform for the localized delivery of proteins such as recombinant antibodies.

  12. Targeted Drug Delivery in the Suprachoroidal Space by Swollen Hydrogel Pushing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jung, Jae Hwan; Desit, Patcharin; Prausnitz, Mark R.

    2018-01-01

    Purpose The purpose is to target model drug particles to the posterior region of the suprachoroidal space (SCS) of the eye controlled via pushing by hydrogel swelling. Methods A particle formulation containing 1% hyaluronic acid (HA) with fluorescent polymer particles and a hydrogel formulation containing 4% HA were introduced in a single syringe as two layers without mixing, and injected sequentially into the SCS of the rabbit eye ex vivo and in vivo using a microneedle. Distribution of particles in the eye was determined by microscopy. Results During injection, the particle formulation was pushed toward the middle of the SCS by the viscous hydrogel formulation, but less than 12% of particles reached the posterior SCS. After injection, the particle formulation was pushed further toward the macula and optic nerve in the posterior SCS by hydrogel swelling and spreading. Heating the eye to 37°C, or injecting in vivo decreased viscosity and mechanical strength of the hydrogel, thereby allowing it to swell and flow further in the SCS. A high salt concentration (9% NaCl) in the hydrogel formulation further increased hydrogel swelling due to osmotic flow into the hydrogel. In this way, up to 76% of particles were delivered to the posterior SCS from an injection made near the limbus. Conclusions This study shows that model drug particles can be targeted to the posterior SCS by HA hydrogel swelling and pushing without particle functionalization or administering external driving forces. PMID:29677369

  13. Targeted Drug Delivery in the Suprachoroidal Space by Swollen Hydrogel Pushing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jung, Jae Hwan; Desit, Patcharin; Prausnitz, Mark R

    2018-04-01

    The purpose is to target model drug particles to the posterior region of the suprachoroidal space (SCS) of the eye controlled via pushing by hydrogel swelling. A particle formulation containing 1% hyaluronic acid (HA) with fluorescent polymer particles and a hydrogel formulation containing 4% HA were introduced in a single syringe as two layers without mixing, and injected sequentially into the SCS of the rabbit eye ex vivo and in vivo using a microneedle. Distribution of particles in the eye was determined by microscopy. During injection, the particle formulation was pushed toward the middle of the SCS by the viscous hydrogel formulation, but less than 12% of particles reached the posterior SCS. After injection, the particle formulation was pushed further toward the macula and optic nerve in the posterior SCS by hydrogel swelling and spreading. Heating the eye to 37°C, or injecting in vivo decreased viscosity and mechanical strength of the hydrogel, thereby allowing it to swell and flow further in the SCS. A high salt concentration (9% NaCl) in the hydrogel formulation further increased hydrogel swelling due to osmotic flow into the hydrogel. In this way, up to 76% of particles were delivered to the posterior SCS from an injection made near the limbus. This study shows that model drug particles can be targeted to the posterior SCS by HA hydrogel swelling and pushing without particle functionalization or administering external driving forces.

  14. A hydrogel-mediated scalable strategy toward core-shell polyaniline/poly(acrylic acid)-modified carbon nanotube hybrids as efficient electrodes for supercapacitor applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Qingqing; Bai, Zhengyu; Fan, Jingbiao; Sun, Zhipeng; Mi, Hongyu; Zhang, Qing; Qiu, Jieshan

    2018-04-01

    Structural failure of polyaniline (PANI) stemmed from repeated swelling-shrinkage during Faradic process represents an imminent issue hindering the real application of this material for advanced energy storage. Herein, we explore a clean and facile hydrogel-mediated layer-by-layer strategy to conformally coat a layer of oriented PANI nanofibers on multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) where a layer of UV-polymerized poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) hydrogel is first formed in between as electrodes for supercapacitors. Such an intriguing core-shell tri-component structure perfectly alleviates the drawbacks of PANI as well as combines the advantages of MWCNTs. Especially, the hydrogel used increases the adhesion between PANI and MWCNTs, buffers the structural variation of PANI during cycling, and provide extra driving force accelerating electrolyte penetration throughout active materials. Therefore, the well-intergrown hybrids (PANI/P-MWCNT) display high electrochemical performance as compared to PANI and PANI/MWCNT, i.e., an improved capacitance of 612.5 F g-1 at 0.5 A g-1, and excellent cycling behavior of 81.5% capacitance retention at 5 A g-1 over 1500 cycles. Also, the maximum energy density of the PANI/P-MWCNT based symmetric configuration reaches 8.2 Wh kg-1. Significantly, such a hydrogel-bridged design concept may find the important application for the synthesis of competitive candidates for energy storage.

  15. Mucoadhesive hydrogel microparticles based on poly (methacrylic acid-vinyl pyrrolidone)-chitosan for oral drug delivery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sajeesh, S; Sharma, Chandra P

    2011-05-01

    The study was aimed at the evaluation of N-vinyl pyrrolidone (NVP) incorporated polymethacrylic acid-chitosan microparticles for oral drug delivery applications. Poly (methacrylic acid)-chitosan (PMC) and poly(methacrylic acid-vinyl pyrrolidone)-chitosan (PMVC) microparticles were prepared by an ionic-gelation method. Mucoadhesion behaviour of these particles was evaluated by ex-vivo adhesion method using freshly excised rat intestinal tissue. Cytotoxicity and absorption enhancing property of PMC and PMVC particles were evaluated on Caco 2 cell monolayers. Protease enzyme inhibition capability and insulin loading/release properties of these hydrogel particles was evaluated under in vitro experimental conditions. Addition of NVP units enhanced the mucoadhesion behavior of PMC particles on isolated rat intestinal tissue. Both PMC and PMVC particles were found non-toxic on Caco 2 cell monolayers and PMC particles was more effective in improving paracellular transport of fluorescent dextran across Caco 2 cell monolayers as compared to PMVC particles. However, protease inhibition efficacy of PMC particles was not significantly affected with NVP addition. NVP incorporation improved the insulin release properties of PMC microparticles at acidic pH. Hydrophilic modification seems to be an interesting approach in improving mucoadhesion capability of PMC microparticles.

  16. Synthesis and characterization of chitosan-graft-poly(acrylic acid)/rice husk ash hydrogels composites; Sintese e caracterizacao de hidrogeis compositos de cinza da casca de arroz e quitosana enxertada com poli(acido acrilico)

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rodrigues, Francisco H.A. [Universidade Estadual Vale do Acarau - UVA, Sobral, CE (Brazil); Lopes, Gabriel V.; Pereira, Antonio G.B.; Fajardo, Andre R.; Muniz, Edvani C. [Universidade Estadual de Maringa - UEM, PR (Brazil)

    2011-07-01

    According to environmental concerns, super absorbent hydrogel composites were synthesized based on rice husk ash (RHA), an industrial waste, and Chitosan-graft-poly(acrylic acid). The WAXS and FTIR data confirmed the syntheses of hydrogel composites. The effect of crystalline or amorphous RHA on water uptake was investigated. It was found that the RHA in crystalline form induces higher water capacity (W{sub eq}) of composites hydrogels due to the fact that the intra-interactions among silanol groups on RHA make available new sites in the polymer matrix, which could interact to water. (author)

  17. An open multicenter study of polyacrylamide hydrogel (Bulkamid®) for female stress and mixed urinary incontinence

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lose, Gunnar; Sørensen, Helle Christina; Axelsen, Susanne Maigaard

    2010-01-01

    Polyacrylamide hydrogel (PAHG, Bulkamid®) is a promising urethral bulking agent. This multicenter study was carried out to evaluate safety and efficacy of Bulkamid® for female stress and mixed urinary incontinence.......Polyacrylamide hydrogel (PAHG, Bulkamid®) is a promising urethral bulking agent. This multicenter study was carried out to evaluate safety and efficacy of Bulkamid® for female stress and mixed urinary incontinence....

  18. Development of visible-light responsive and mechanically enhanced "smart" UCST interpenetrating network hydrogels.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Yifei; Ghag, Onkar; Reimann, Morgan; Sitterle, Philip; Chatterjee, Prithwish; Nofen, Elizabeth; Yu, Hongyu; Jiang, Hanqing; Dai, Lenore L

    2017-12-20

    An interpenetrating polymer network (IPN), chlorophyllin-incorporated environmentally responsive hydrogel was synthesized and exhibited the following features: enhanced mechanical properties, upper critical solution temperature (UCST) swelling behavior, and promising visible-light responsiveness. Poor mechanical properties are known challenges for hydrogel-based materials. By forming an interpenetrating network between polyacrylamide (PAAm) and poly(acrylic acid) (PAAc) polymer networks, the mechanical properties of the synthesized IPN hydrogels were significantly improved compared to hydrogels made of a single network of each polymer. The formation of the interpenetrating network was confirmed by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), the analysis of glass transition temperature, and a unique UCST responsive swelling behavior, which is in contrast to the more prevalent lower critical solution temperature (LCST) behaviour of environmentally responsive hydrogels. The visible-light responsiveness of the synthesized hydrogel also demonstrated a positive swelling behavior, and the effect of incorporating chlorophyllin as the chromophore unit was observed to reduce the average pore size and further enhance the mechanical properties of the hydrogel. This interpenetrating network system shows potential to serve as a new route in developing "smart" hydrogels using visible-light as a simple, inexpensive, and remotely controllable stimulus.

  19. A novel chondroitin sulfate hydrogel for nerve repair

    Science.gov (United States)

    Conovaloff, Aaron William

    Brachial plexus injuries affect numerous patients every year, with very debilitating results. The majority of these cases are very severe, and involve damage to the nerve roots. To date, repair strategies for these injuries address only gross tissue damage, but do not supply cells with adequate regeneration signals. As a result, functional recovery is often severely lacking. Therefore, a chondroitin sulfate hydrogel that delivers neurotrophic signals to damaged neurons is proposed as a scaffold to support nerve root regeneration. Capillary electrophoresis studies revealed that chondroitin sulfate can physically bind with a variety of neurotrophic factors, and cultures of chick dorsal root ganglia demonstrated robust neurite outgrowth in chondroitin sulfate hydrogels. Outgrowth in chondroitin sulfate gels was greater than that observed in control gels of hyaluronic acid. Furthermore, the chondroitin sulfate hydrogel's binding activity with nerve growth factor could be enhanced by incorporation of a synthetic bioactive peptide, as revealed by fluorescence recovery after photobleaching. This enhanced binding was observed only in chondroitin sulfate gels, and not in hyaluronic acid control gels. This enhanced binding activity resulted in enhanced dorsal root ganglion neurite outgrowth in chondroitin sulfate gels. Finally, the growth of regenerating dorsal root ganglia in these gels was imaged using label-free coherent anti-Stokes scattering microscopy. This technique generated detailed, high-quality images of live dorsal root ganglion neurites, which were comparable to fixed, F-actin-stained samples. Taken together, these results demonstrate the viability of this chondroitin sulfate hydrogel to serve as an effective implantable scaffold to aid in nerve root regeneration.

  20. Preparation and characterization of acrylic acid-grafted poly (vinyl alcohol) hydrogel actuators using γ-ray irradiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    An, Sung Jun; Lim, Youn Mook; Gwon, Hui Jeong; Kim, Yun Hye; Youn, Min Ho; Nho, Young Chang; Han, Dong Hyun; Kim, Chong Yeal

    2008-01-01

    Active polymer gels expand and contract in response to certain environmental stimuli, such as the application of an electric field or a change in the pH level of the surroundings. This ability to achieve large, reversible deformations with no external mechanical loading has generated much interest in the use of these gels as biomimetic actuators and artificial muscles. In this study, poly (vinyl alcohol)(PVA) grafted acrylic acid monomer (PVA-g-AAc) hydrogels were prepared by 60 Co γ-ray irradiation and their properties such as degree of grafting and weight swelling in electrostimulation as an artificial muscle and actuator were investigated

  1. E-beam crosslinked, biocompatible functional hydrogels incorporating polyaniline nanoparticles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dispenza, C.; Sabatino, M.-A.; Niconov, A.; Chmielewska, D.; Spadaro, G.

    2012-01-01

    PANI aqueous nanocolloids in their acid-doped, inherently conductive form were synthesised by means of suitable water soluble polymers used as stabilisers. In particular, poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) or chitosan (CT) was used to stabilise PANI nanoparticles, thus preventing PANI precipitation during synthesis and upon storage. Subsequently, e-beam irradiation of the PANI dispersions has been performed with a 12 MeV Linac accelerator. PVA-PANI nanocolloid has been transformed into a PVA-PANI hydrogel nanocomposite by radiation induced crosslinking of PVA. CT-PANI nanoparticles dispersion, in turn, was added to PVA to obtain wall-to-wall gels, as chitosan mainly undergoes chain scission under the chosen irradiation conditions. While the obtainment of uniform PANI particle size distribution was preliminarily ascertained with laser light scattering and TEM microscopy, the typical porous structure of PVA-based freeze dried hydrogels was observed with SEM microscopy for the hydrogel nanocomposites. UV−visible absorption spectroscopy demonstrates that the characteristic, pH-dependent and reversible optical absorption properties of PANI are conferred to the otherwise optically transparent PVA hydrogels. Selected formulations have been also subjected to MTT assays to prove the absence of cytotoxicity. - Highlights: ► PANI nanocolloids were chemically synthesised in the presence of PVA and chitosan. ► PANI dispersions were transformed into hydrogel nanocomposites by e-beam irradiation. ► Characteristic optical properties of PANI were shown by the nanocomposite hydrogels. ► Absence of cytotoxicity for the nanocomposite hydrogels is demonstrated. ► Results encourage developments for application in biosensing and smart drug delivery.

  2. Healing wounds - radiation processing technology for hydrogel dressing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Varshney, Lalit

    2009-01-01

    Uses of hydrogels are known and have several applications in medical field. Drug delivery devices, contact lenses, wound dressing, artificial cartilage's or membranes, vascular prosthesis, gel coated catheters etc., are some of the examples. Due to direct relevance to human health, scientists have been continuously exploring these systems. Generally, hydro (water) gels contain 30-90% of water entrapped in a three dimensional network structure of a hydrophilic polymer. The large water content makes them highly bio-compatible and therefore preferred for use as biomaterials. Some of the hydrophilic polymers used in these applications include poly (vinyl pyrrolidone), poly (ethylene oxide), poly (vinyl alcohol) and poly (acrylic acid ). Depending upon the nature of application, the size of these hydrogel can vary from nanometers (nanogels, injectable hydrogels) to centimeters to meters (wound dressing, fire blankets, drug delivery devices and implants). BARC hydrogel dressings have been so far used for treating burns, leprosy ulcers, animal bites, diabetic foot ulcers, herpes, fresh scars, bullet injuries, boils, pimples, sun burns, abrasion, surgical wounds of breast cancer, as bolus for radiation therapy in cancer etc. The use of gels have shown excellent result in diabetic ulcers which definitely provides an alternate to expensive biotech products and relief to expanding population of diabetics in India. Its application and some of the examples are shown in the paper. Other hydrogel based products which are under development in the authors laboratory are radiation processed silver nano-particle hydrogels to treat infected wounds and fire blankets for whole body coverage for protection from fire for defense personnel and fire service people

  3. Efficient adsorption of Au(CN)2- from gold cyanidation with graphene oxide-polyethylenimine hydrogel as adsorbent

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yang, Lang; Jia, Feifei; Yang, Bingqiao; Song, Shaoxian

    The adsorption of gold cyanide complex ion (Au(CN)2-) on graphene oxide-polyethylenimine hydrogel (GO/PEI hydrogel) from gold cyanidation has been studied to explore the possibility of the application of GO/PEI hydrogel in gold cyanidation process for extracting gold from ores. The adsorption was carried out in artificial Au(CN)2- aqueous solution with GO/PEI hydrogel as adsorbent. The experimental results, as well as IR, XPS and SEM-EDS, have shown that GO/PEI hydrogel exhibited a high adsorption capacity and a fast adsorption rate of Au(CN)2-, suggesting that GO/PEI hydrogel might be a good adsorbent for the recovery of Au(CN)2-. The adsorption of Au(CN)2- on GO/PEI hydrogel obeyed the Langmuir isotherm model and fitted well with the pseudo second order model. The good recovery of Au(CN)2- was largely related to the porous structure, large specific surface area, as well as the oxygenous functional groups on the surface of GO/PEI hydrogel.

  4. Novel Injectable Pentablock Copolymer Based Thermoresponsive Hydrogels for Sustained Release Vaccines.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bobbala, Sharan; Tamboli, Viral; McDowell, Arlene; Mitra, Ashim K; Hook, Sarah

    2016-01-01

    The need for multiple vaccinations to enhance the immunogenicity of subunit vaccines may be reduced by delivering the vaccine over an extended period of time. Here, we report two novel injectable pentablock copolymer based thermoresponsive hydrogels made of polyethyleneglycol-polycaprolactone-polylactide-polycaprolactone-polyethyleneglycol (PEG-PCL-PLA-PCL-PEG) with varying ratios of polycaprolactone (PCL) and polylactide (PLA), as single shot sustained release vaccines. Pentablock copolymer hydrogels were loaded with vaccine-encapsulated poly lactic-co-glycolic acid nanoparticles (PLGA-NP) or with the soluble vaccine components. Incorporation of PLGA-NP into the thermoresponsive hydrogels increased the complex viscosity of the gels, lowered the gelation temperature, and minimized the burst release of antigen and adjuvants. The two pentablock hydrogels stimulated both cellular and humoral responses. The addition of PLGA-NP to the hydrogels sustained immune responses for up to 49 days. The polymer with a higher ratio of PCL to PLA formed a more rigid gel, induced stronger immune responses, and stimulated effective anti-tumor responses in a prophylactic melanoma tumor model.

  5. Co-Deposition of a Hydrogel/Calcium Phosphate Hybrid Layer on 3D Printed Poly(Lactic Acid Scaffolds via Dip Coating: Towards Automated Biomaterials Fabrication

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Matthias Schneider

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available The article describes the surface modification of 3D printed poly(lactic acid (PLA scaffolds with calcium phosphate (CP/gelatin and CP/chitosan hybrid coating layers. The presence of gelatin or chitosan significantly enhances CP co-deposition and adhesion of the mineral layer on the PLA scaffolds. The hydrogel/CP coating layers are fairly thick and the mineral is a mixture of brushite, octacalcium phosphate, and hydroxyapatite. Mineral formation is uniform throughout the printed architectures and all steps (printing, hydrogel deposition, and mineralization are in principle amenable to automatization. Overall, the process reported here therefore has a high application potential for the controlled synthesis of biomimetic coatings on polymeric biomaterials.

  6. Functional elastic hydrogel as recyclable membrane for the adsorption and degradation of methylene blue.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Song Bao

    Full Text Available Developing the application of high-strength hydrogels has gained much attention in the fields of medical, pharmacy, and pollutant removal due to their versatility and stimulus-responsive properties. In this presentation, a high-strength freestanding elastic hydrogel membrane was constructed by clay nanosheets, N, N-dimethylacrylamide and 2-acrylamide-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid for adsorption of methylene blue and heavy metal ions. The maximum values of elongation and Young's modulus for 0.5% AMPSNa hydrogel were 1901% and 949.4 kPa, respectively, much higher than those of traditional hydrogels. The adsorptions were confirmed to follow pseudo-second kinetic equation and Langmuir isotherm model fits the data well. The maximum adsorption capacity of hydrogel towards methylene blue was 434.8 mg g(-1. The hydrogel also exhibited higher separation selectivity to Pb(2+ than Cu(2+. The methylene blue adsorbed onto the hydrogel membrane can be photocatalytically degraded by Fenton agent and the hydrogel membrane could be recycled at least five times without obvious loss in mechanical properties. In conclusion, this presentation demonstrates a convenient strategy to prepare tough and elastic clay nanocomposite hydrogel, which can not only be applied as recyclable membrane for the photocatalytic degradation of organic dye, but also for the recovery of valuables.

  7. Drug-Loadable Calcium Alginate Hydrogel System for Use in Oral Bone Tissue Repair.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Luyuan; Shen, Renze; Komasa, Satoshi; Xue, Yanxiang; Jin, Bingyu; Hou, Yepo; Okazaki, Joji; Gao, Jie

    2017-05-06

    This study developed a drug-loadable hydrogel system with high plasticity and favorable biological properties to enhance oral bone tissue regeneration. Hydrogels of different calcium alginate concentrations were prepared. Their swelling ratio, degradation time, and bovine serum albumin (BSA) release rate were measured. Human periodontal ligament cells (hPDLCs) and bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) were cultured with both calcium alginate hydrogels and polylactic acid (PLA), and then we examined the proliferation of cells. Inflammatory-related factor gene expressions of hPDLCs and osteogenesis-related gene expressions of BMSCs were observed. Materials were implanted into the subcutaneous tissue of rabbits to determine the biosecurity properties of the materials. The materials were also implanted in mandibular bone defects and then scanned using micro-CT. The calcium alginate hydrogels caused less inflammation than the PLA. The number of mineralized nodules and the expression of osteoblast-related genes were significantly higher in the hydrogel group compared with the control group. When the materials were implanted in subcutaneous tissue, materials showed favorable biocompatibility. The calcium alginate hydrogels had superior osteoinductive bone ability to the PLA. The drug-loadable calcium alginate hydrogel system is a potential bone defect reparation material for clinical dental application.

  8. Library of Antifouling Surfaces Derived From Natural Amino Acids by Click Reaction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Chen; Hu, Xin; Wang, Jie; Zhang, Ye-Min; Liu, Xiao-Jiu; Xie, Bin-Bin; Yao, Chen; Li, Yi; Li, Xin-Song

    2015-08-12

    Biofouling is of great concern in numerous applications ranging from ophthalmological implants to catheters, and from bioseparation to biosensors. In this report, a general and facile strategy to combat surface fouling is developed by grafting of amino acids onto polymer substrates to form zwitterionic structure through amino groups induced epoxy ring opening click reaction. First of all, a library of poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate-co-glycidyl methacrylate) hydrogels with zwitterionic surfaces were prepared, resulting in the formation of pairs of carboxyl anions and protonated secondary amino cations. The analysis of attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirmed the successful immobilization of amino acids on the hydrogel surfaces. After that, the contact angle and equilibrium water content of the modified hydrogels showed that the hydrogels exhibited improved hydrophilicity compared with the parent hydrogel. Furthermore, the protein deposition was evaluated by bicinchoninic acid assay using bovine serum albumin (BSA) and lysozyme as models. The results indicated that the performance of the hydrogels was determined by the nature of incorporated amino acid: the hydrogels incorporated with neutral amino acids had nonspecific antiadsorption capability to both BSA and lysozyme; the hydrogels incorporated with charged amino acids showed antiadsorption behaviors against protein with same charge and enhanced adsorption to the protein with opposite charge; the optimal antiadsorption performance was observed on the hydrogels incorporated with polar amino acids with a hydroxyl residual. The improvement of antiprotein fouling of the neutral amino acids grafted hydrogels can be ascribed to the formation of zwitterionic surfaces. Finally, a couple of soft contact lenses grafted with amino acids were fabricated having improved antifouling property and hydrophilicity. The result demonstrated the success of

  9. Semi-Interpenetrating polymer network hydrogels based on aspen hemicellulose and chitosan: Effect of crosslinking sequence on hydrogel properties

    Science.gov (United States)

    Muzaffer Ahmet Karaaslan; Mandla A. Tshabalala; Gisela Buschle-Diller

    2012-01-01

    Semi-interpenetrating network hydrogel films were prepared using hemicellulose and chemically crosslinked chitosan. Hemicellulose was extracted from aspen by using a novel alkaline treatment and characterized by HPSEC, and consisted of a mixture of high and low molecular weight polymeric fractions. HPLC analysis of the acid hydrolysate of the hemicellulose showed that...

  10. A hydrogel actuator with flexible folding deformation and shape programming via using sodium carboxymethyl cellulose and acrylic acid.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Shuiping; Yu, Feng; Dong, Hua; Cao, Xiaodong

    2017-10-01

    Hydrogel actuator is an intelligent material, which can work as artificial muscle. However, most present hydrogel actuators, due to the inferior mechanical property and uncontrolled folding property, have always resulted in slipping off or the failure of grasping an object with specific shape and required weight. In order to solve this problem, here a tough hydrogel actuator with programmable folding deformation has been prepared by combining the "selective implanting method" and "ionic coordination". The shape and folding angle (from 0 to 180 o ) of hydrogel actuator can be precisely controlled by altering the location and size of the implanting parts that seems like the joints of finger. The ionic coordination is not only the force to trigger the folding of hydrogel, but also utilized to reinforce the mechanical property. We believed the superior mechanical and shape-programmable property can endow the hydrogel actuator with great application prospect in soft machine. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Poly(AAc-co-MBA) hydrogel films: adhesive and mechanical properties in aqueous medium.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arunbabu, Dhamodaran; Shahsavan, Hamed; Zhang, Wei; Zhao, Boxin

    2013-01-10

    Poly(acrylic acid-co-N,N'-methylenebisacrylamide) hydrogel films were synthesized by copolymerizing acrylic acid (AAc) with N,N'-methylenebisacrylamide (MBA) as a cross-linker via photo polymerization in the spacing confined between two glass plates. NMR spectroscopy was utilized to determine the cross-linking density. We found that the cross-linking density determined by NMR is higher than that expected from the feed concentrations of cross-linkers, suggesting that MBA is more reactive than AAc and the heterogeneous nature of the cross-linking. In addition to the swelling tests, indentation tests were performed on the hydrogel films under water to investigate effects of the cross-linking density on the adhesion and mechanical properties of the hydrogel films in terms of adhesive pull-off force and Hertz-type elastic modulus. As the cross-linker concentration increased, the effective elastic modulus of the hydrogel films increased dramatically at low cross-linking densities and reached a high steady-state value at higher cross-linking densities. The pull-off force decreased with increasing cross-linker concentration and reached a lower force plateau at high cross-linking densities. An optimal "trade-off" cross-linking density was determined to be 0.02 mol fraction of MBA in the hydrogel, where balanced elastic modulus and adhesive pull-off force can be obtained.

  12. Dynamics in poly vinyl alcohol (PVA) based hydrogel: Neutron scattering study

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Prabhudesai, S. A., E-mail: swapnil@barc.gov.in; Mitra, S.; Mukhopadhyay, R. [Solid State Physics Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Mumbai 40085 (India); Lawrence, Mathias B. [Department of Physics, St. Xavier’s College, Mapusa, Goa 403507 (India); Desa, J. A. E. [Department of Physics, Goa University, Taleigao Plateau, Goa 403206 (India)

    2015-06-24

    Results of quasielastic neutron scattering measurements carried out on Poly Vinyl Alcohol (PVA) based hydrogels are reported here. PVA hydrogels are formed using Borax as a cross-linking agent in D{sub 2}O solvent. This synthetic polymer can be used for obtaining the hydrogels with potential use in the field of biomaterials. The aim of this paper is to study the dynamics of polymer chain in the hydrogel since it is known that polymer mobility influences the kinetics of loading and release of drugs. It is found that the dynamics of hydrogen atoms in the polymer chain could be described by a model where the diffusion of hydrogen atoms is limited within a spherical volume of radius 3.3 Å. Average diffusivity estimated from the behavior of quasielastic width is found to be 1.2 × 10{sup −5} cm{sup 2}/sec.

  13. Local application of danazol-loaded hyaluronic acid hydrogel to endometriosis in a rat model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nomura, Kazuhito; Murakami, Koichi; Shozu, Makio; Nakama, Tsuyoshi; Yui, Nobuhiko; Inoue, Masaki

    2006-04-01

    To evaluate the efficacy of a drug delivery system composed of danazol-loaded hyaluronic acid for local application to endometriosis. Prospective, randomized study. Academic research unit of the department of obstetrics and gynecology in a university hospital. Adult female Sprague-Dawley rats. Danazol-loaded hyaluronic acid hydrogel (DZ-HA gel) was injected into the rat endometriosis model. Size and histological changes in experimental endometriosis, the concentration of danazol in the cyst wall and plasma, and estrous cycles were examined. Histologically, DZ-HA gel-treated cysts displayed marked atrophy of the endometrial epithelium. Increased numbers of apoptotic cells and decreased numbers of proliferative cells were noted with 10 mg/mL DZ-HA gel. Size of treated cysts decreased to approximately 60% at 9 weeks after injection. The estrous cycles were not disturbed during DZ-HA gel treatment. Local injection of DZ-HA gel achieved endometrial atrophy of an experimental model of endometriosis without disturbing the sexual cycle. These results suggest that local application of DZ using this drug delivery system may prove useful for treating endometriosis.

  14. Poly (L-lactic acid) porous scaffold-supported alginate hydrogel with improved mechanical properties and biocompatibility.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chu, Jiaqi; Zeng, Shaodong; Gao, Liyang; Groth, Thomas; Li, Zhiwen; Kong, Junchao; Zhao, Mingyan; Li, Lihua

    2016-10-10

    Polymer porous scaffolds and hydrogels have been separately employed and explored for a wide range of applications including cell encapsulation, drug delivery, and tissue engineering. In this study, a three-dimensional poly (L-lactic acid) (PLLA) scaffold with interconnected and homogeneously distributed pores was fabricated to support the alginate hydrogel (Alg). The gels were filled into the porous scaffold, which acted as an analogue of native extracellular matrix (ECM) for entrapment of cells within a support of predefined shape. The mechanical strength of the composite scaffold was characterized by compression testing. The chondrocyte behavior in the scaffold was determined by inverted microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and MTT viability assay. The repair efficiency of such a composite scaffold was further investigated in dog spinal defects by histological evaluation after implantation for 4 weeks. Results showed that the composite scaffold possessed superior mechanical properties and hierarchical porous structure in comparison to pure Alg. Cell culture revealed that the cells presented a specific cartilage status in the composite scaffold in line with higher adherence and proliferation ratio. The histological analyses suggested that the composite scaffold substantially promotes its integration in the host tissue accompanied with a low inflammatory reaction and new tissue formation. The method thus provides a useful pathway for scaffold preparation that can simultaneously achieve suitable mechanical properties and good biocompatibility.

  15. Smart hydrogel functional materials

    CERN Document Server

    Chu, Liang-Yin; Ju, Xiao-Jie

    2014-01-01

    This book systematically introduces smart hydrogel functional materials with the configurations ranging from hydrogels to microgels. It serves as an excellent reference for designing and fabricating artificial smart hydrogel functional materials.

  16. Analysis of pH Sensitive Hydrogel Coating Effect to Fiber Bragg Grating Properties for pH Sensor Application

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yulianti, Ian; Supa'at, Abu Sahmah M.; Idrus, Sevia M.; Kurdi, Ojo

    2011-12-01

    This paper demonstrates the analysis of fiber Bragg grating properties due to hydrogel coating swelling effect. The modeling was done by simulating the hydrogel swelling behavior, and then carried out strain and stress analysis induced on the fiber due to hydrogel expansion. Meshless numerical method was adopted to solve the Poison Nernst Planck equation coupled to mechanical equation to simulate the hydrogel swelling. The hydrogel coating thickness was varied for 4 values, namely 30 μm, 40 μm, 50 μm and 60 μm. The strain and stress analysis were done numerically using finite element method. The results show that the strain on the fiber increases as the hydrogel coating thickness increased. The increase of hydrogel thickness results in the improvement of sensor sensitivity at the expense of stress value.

  17. Controlled 5-fluorouracil release from hydrogels of Poly (acrylamide-co-metacrylic acid) crosslinked by means Of gamma irradiation techniques

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rapado, M.; Sainz, D.; Altanes, S.; Prado, S.; Padron, S.; Salivar, D.; Chong, B.

    1999-01-01

    This report present the results on entrapped a cytostatic 5-Fluorouracil (5-F) in polymeric matrixes named hydrogels of polyacrylamide co -metacrylic acid crosslinked by means of gamma radiation with doses of 10,30, and 30 kGy at 25 o C. The drug delivery was followed by HPLC. The behavior of 5 -Fu migration from polymeric network was analyze by Iguchi equation for plain structure systems. The diffusion coefficients were obtained and drug release was in accordance with Fickian behavior

  18. Cartilage Repair Using Composites of Human Umbilical Cord Blood-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells and Hyaluronic Acid Hydrogel in a Minipig Model.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ha, Chul-Won; Park, Yong-Beom; Chung, Jun-Young; Park, Yong-Geun

    2015-09-01

    The cartilage regeneration potential of human umbilical cord blood-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hUCB-MSCs) with a hyaluronic acid (HA) hydrogel composite has shown remarkable results in rat and rabbit models. The purpose of the present study was to confirm the consistent regenerative potential in a pig model using three different cell lines. A full-thickness chondral injury was intentionally created in the trochlear groove of each knee in 6 minipigs. Three weeks later, an osteochondral defect, 5 mm wide by 10 mm deep, was created, followed by an 8-mm-wide and 5-mm-deep reaming. A mixture (1.5 ml) of hUCB-MSCs (0.5×10(7) cells per milliliter) and 4% HA hydrogel composite was then transplanted into the defect on the right knee. Each cell line was used in two minipigs. The osteochondral defect created in the same manner on the left knee was untreated to act as the control. At 12 weeks postoperatively, the pigs were sacrificed, and the degree of subsequent cartilage regeneration was evaluated by gross and histological analysis. The transplanted knee resulted in superior and more complete hyaline cartilage regeneration compared with the control knee. The cellular characteristics (e.g., cellular proliferation and chondrogenic differentiation capacity) of the hUCB-MSCs influenced the degree of cartilage regeneration potential. This evidence of consistent cartilage regeneration using composites of hUCB-MSCs and HA hydrogel in a large animal model could be a stepping stone to a human clinical trial in the future. To date, several studies have investigated the chondrogenic potential of human umbilical cord blood-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hUCB-MSCs); however, the preclinical studies are still limited in numbers with various results. In parallel, in the past several years, the cartilage regeneration potential of hUCB-MSCs with a hyaluronic acid (HA) hydrogel composite have been investigated and remarkable results in rat and rabbit models have been attained. (These

  19. Effect of Gamma Radiation on Amino Acid Based Vesicle Carrying Radiosensitizer

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nur Ratasha Alia Mohd Rosli; Faizal Mohamed; Muhammad Amir Syafiq Mohd Sah; Irman Abdul Rahman

    2014-01-01

    Vesicles has been developed and studied to be used as a medium to transport radiosensitizer in treating cancer cells by increasing its sensitivity effectively towards the radiation given during radiotherapy. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of gamma radiation on amino acid-based vesicle carrying radiosensitizer. Amino acid based vesicles carrying radiosensitizer were synthesized using sonication method with sodium N-lauroylsarcosinate hydrate and decanol being the primary surfactant, while hydrogen peroxide and sodium hyaluronate as the encapsulated radiosensitizer. The synthesized vesicle was then irradiated at radiation doses equivalent to those given during radiotherapy. Irradiated vesicle carrying radiosensitizer were then characterized using Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Polarized Light Microscope. Results obtained shows that there were no significant changes in morphology and molecular conformation of the synthesized vesicle after irradiation. Even at higher radiation dose of 100 Gray and 200 Gray, the results remained unchanged. This indicates that the synthesized vesicle carrying radiosensitizer is morphologically and spectroscopically stable even at high radiation doses. (author)

  20. Acai oil development and evaluation of immobilization and release in poly (N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone) hydrogels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Machado, Ana Carolina Henriques Ribeiro

    2010-01-01

    Acai (Euterpe oleracea) is a native palm of Brazil, distributed for the entire Amazonian basin. Rich in essentials fatty acids (mainly oleic acid and linoleic acid), acai oil prevents abnormal conditions of the skin, as dermatitis and drying, and assists in the regeneration of the epidermis. The benefits of the hydrogels are known as dressings. The purpose of this study was to develop devices for controlled release of acai oil on poly (N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone) (PVP) hydrogels. The behavior of the acai oil front to the radiation was evaluated by the composition of fatty acids of the oil before and after irradiation. Two different matrices of PVP hydrogel were evaluated physically and chemically through assays of swelling, gel fraction, mechanical proprieties and in vitro cytotoxicity. Both matrices were considered adjusted to be used as an active release system. The devices were obtained by acai oil immobilization in PVP hydrogel matrices, were also characterized through assays of sweeling, gel fraction, mechanical proprieties and in vitro cytotoxicity. Moreover, they were characterized by assays of scanning electron microscopy and in vivo primary cutaneous irritation. Both devices were submitted to assay of active release kinetics, and the acai oil was quantified by gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry. The devices showed to be satisfactory to compose a release system of actives. (author)

  1. Biomimetic hydrogel loaded with silk and l-proline for tissue engineering and wound healing applications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thangavel, Ponrasu; Ramachandran, Balaji; Kannan, Ramya; Muthuvijayan, Vignesh

    2017-08-01

    The aim of this article was to develop silk protein (SF) and l-proline (LP) loaded chitosan-(CS) based hydrogels via physical cross linking for tissue engineering and wound healing applications. Silk fibroin, a biodegradable and biocompatible protein, and l-proline, an important imino acid that is required for collagen synthesis, were added to chitosan to improve the wound healing properties of the hydrogel. Characterization of these hydrogels revealed that CS/SF/LP hydrogels were blended properly and LP incorporated hydrogels showed excellent thermal stability and good surface morphology. Swelling study showed the water holding efficiency of the hydrogels to provide enough moisture at the wound surface. In vitro biodegradation results demonstrated that the hydrogels had good degradation rate in PBS with lysozyme. LP loaded hydrogels showed approximately a twofold increase in antioxidant activity. In vitro cytocompatibility studies using NIH 3T3 L1 cells showed increased cell viability (p Cell adhesion on SF and LP hydrogels were observed using SEM and compared to CS hydrogel. LP incorporation showed 74-78% of wound closure compared to 35% for CS/SF and 3% for CS hydrogels at 48 h. These results suggest that incorporation of LP can significantly accelerate wound healing process compared to pure CS and SF-loaded CS hydrogels. Hence, CS/LP hydrogels could be a potential wound dressing material for the enhanced wound tissue regeneration and repair. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 105B: 1401-1408, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  2. Crystal growth of calcium carbonate in silk fibroin/sodium alginate hydrogel

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ming, Jinfa; Zuo, Baoqi

    2014-01-01

    As known, silk fibroin-like protein plays a pivotal role during the formation of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) crystals in the nacre sheets. Here, we have prepared silk fibroin/sodium alginate nanofiber hydrogels to serve as templates for calcium carbonate mineralization. In this experiment, we report an interesting finding of calcium carbonate crystal growth in the silk fibroin/sodium alginate nanofiber hydrogels by the vapor diffusion method. The experimental results indicate calcium carbonate crystals obtained from nanofiber hydrogels with different proportions of silk fibroin/sodium alginate are mixture of calcite and vaterite with unusual morphologies. Time-dependent growth study was carried out to investigate the crystallization process. It is believed that nanofiber hydrogels play an important role in the process of crystallization. This study would help in understanding the function of organic polymers in natural mineralization, and provide a novel pathway in the design and synthesis of new materials related unique morphology and structure.

  3. Poly(amido-amine)-based hydrogels with tailored mechanical properties and degradation rates for tissue engineering.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martello, Federico; Tocchio, Alessandro; Tamplenizza, Margherita; Gerges, Irini; Pistis, Valentina; Recenti, Rossella; Bortolin, Monica; Del Fabbro, Massimo; Argentiere, Simona; Milani, Paolo; Lenardi, Cristina

    2014-03-01

    Poly(amido-amine) (PAA) hydrogels containing the 2,2-bisacrylamidoacetic acid-4-amminobutyl guanidine monomeric unit have a known ability to enhance cellular adhesion by interacting with the arginin-glycin-aspartic acid (RGD)-binding αVβ3 integrin, expressed by a wide number of cell types. Scientific interest in this class of materials has traditionally been hampered by their poor mechanical properties and restricted range of degradation rate. Here we present the design of novel biocompatible, RGD-mimic PAA-based hydrogels with wide and tunable degradation rates as well as improved mechanical and biological properties for biomedical applications. This is achieved by radical polymerization of acrylamide-terminated PAA oligomers in both the presence and absence of 2-hydroxyethylmethacrylate. The degradation rate is found to be precisely tunable by adjusting the PAA oligomer molecular weight and acrylic co-monomer concentration in the starting reaction mixture. Cell adhesion and proliferation tests on Madin-Darby canine kidney epithelial cells show that PAA-based hydrogels have the capacity to promote cell adhesion up to 200% compared to the control. Mechanical tests show higher compressive strength of acrylic chain containing hydrogels compared to traditional PAA hydrogels. Copyright © 2013 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Structure and properties of semi-interpenetrating network hydrogel based on starch.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Baodong; Ma, Dongzhuo; Wang, Jian; Zhang, Shuang

    2015-11-20

    Starch-g-P(acrylic acid-co-acrylamide)/PVA semi-interpenetrating network (semi-IPN) hydrogels were prepared by aqueous solution polymerization method. Starch grafting copolymerization reaction, semi-IPN structure and crystal morphology were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The PVA in the form of partial crystallization distributing in the gel matrix uniformly were observed by Field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM). The space network structure, finer microstructure and pore size in the interior of hydrogel were presented by biomicroscope. The results demonstrated that absorption ratio of water and salt generated different degree changes with the effect of PVA. In addition, the mechanical strength of hydrogel was improved. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  5. Water swelling properties of the electron beam irradiated PVA-g-AAc hydrogels

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wang, Qingguo, E-mail: qwang@qust.edu.cn [Key Laboratory of Rubber-Plastics of Ministry of Education, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, Qingdao 266042 (China); Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Rubber-Plastics, Qingdao 266042 (China); Zhou, Xue; Zeng, Jinxia; Wang, Jizeng [Key Laboratory of Rubber-Plastics of Ministry of Education, Qingdao University of Science and Technology, Qingdao 266042 (China)

    2016-02-01

    In this paper, the electron beam irradiation technology being more suitable for the industry application is explored to fabricate the acrylic acid (AAc) monomer-grafted polyvinyl alcohol (PVA-g-AAc) hydrogels. ATR-IR spectra of the PVA-g-AAc hydrogels shows an obvious absorption peak of the −C=O group at 1701 cm{sup −1}, indicating that the AAc monomers were grafted onto the PVA macromolecules. This paper also studied some effects of the mass ratio of PVA/AAc, pH of buffer solution and irradiation dosage on the water swelling properties of the electron beam irradiated PVA-g-AAc hydrogels. The water swelling ratio of PVA-g-AAc hydrogels decreases with increased irradiation dosage and mass ratio of PVA/AAc, whereas swelling ratio increases with increased pH of buffer solution and soaking time. The water-swelling behavior of PVA-g-AAc hydrogels occurred easily in an alkaline environment, particularly in a buffer solution with pH 9.2. Both PVA-g-AAc hydrogels (PVA/AAc = 1/5, w/w) irradiated with 5 kilogray (kGy) and PVA-g-AAc hydrogels (PVA/AAc = 1/1, w/w) irradiated with 15 kGy could easily absorb water and lead to high water swelling ratios (up to about 600%), which are potential candidates to meet the requirements for some biomedical applications.

  6. Synthesis and characterization of thermosensitive hydrogels and the investigation of modified release of ibuprofen

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ilić-Stojanović Snežana S.

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available The method of the synthesis of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-2-hydroxypropyl methacrylate hydrogels obtained by radical polymerization is described. Their characterization was carried out by the determination of the quantity of residual monomers and by investigating their structure using the FTIR. Three glass transitions were detected by DSC method. The porous surfaces of hydrogels with incorporated ibuprofen were shown in SEM micrographs. The swelling ratio of hydrogels decreased with the temperature increase and the swelling transport mechanism was changed from non-Fickian to Fickian. Ibuprofen was incorporated in hydrogel as a drug carrier and released quantity was monitored by HPLC method depending on the temperature. Hydrogel with the lower cross-linker content had the highest swelling degree (α = 34.72 at 10°C and released the largest amount of ibuprofen (64.21 mg/gxerogel at 40°C. [Projekat Ministarstva nauke Republike Srbije, br. TR-34012

  7. Carbon Nanotubes Reinforced Maleic Anhydride-Modified Xylan-g-Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) Hydrogel with Multifunctional Properties

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Xinxin; Song, Tao; Chang, Minmin; Meng, Ling; Wang, Xiaohui; Sun, Runcang; Ren, Junli

    2018-01-01

    Introducing multifunctional groups and inorganic material imparts xylan-based hydrogels with excellent properties, such as responsiveness to pH, temperature, light, and external magnetic field. In this work, a composite hydrogel was synthesized by introducing acid treated carbon nanotubes (AT-CNTs) into the maleic anhydride modified xylan grafted with poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (MAX-g-PNIPAM) hydrogels network. It was found that the addition of AT-CNTs affected the MAX-g-PNIPAM hydrogel structure, the swelling ratio and mechanical properties, and imparted the hydrogel with new properties of electrical conductivity and near infrared region (NIR) photothermal conversion. AT-CNTs could reinforce the mechanical properties of MAX-g-PNIPAM hydrogels, being up to 83 kPa for the compressive strength when the amount was 11 wt %, which was eight times than that of PNIPAM hydrogel and four times than that of MAX-g-PNIPAM hydrogel. The electroconductibility was enhanced by the increase of AT-CNTs amounts. Meanwhile, the composite hydrogel also exhibited multiple shape memory and NIR photothermal conversion properties, and water temperature was increased from 26 °C to 56 °C within 8 min under the NIR irradiation. Thus, the AT-CNTs reinforced MAX-g-PNIPAM hydrogel possessed promising multifunctional properties, which offered many potential applications in the fields of biosensors, thermal-arrest technology, and drug-controlled release. PMID:29495611

  8. Surface and anti-fouling properties of a polyampholyte hydrogel grafted onto a polyethersulfone membrane.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Wei; Yang, Zhe; Kaufman, Yair; Bernstein, Roy

    2018-05-01

    Zwitterion polymers have anti-fouling properties; therefore, grafting new zwitterions to surfaces, particularly as hydrogels, is one of the leading research directions for preventing fouling. Specifically, polyampholytes, polymers of random mixed charged subunits with a net-electric charge, offer a synthetically easy alternative for studying new zwitterions with a broad spectrum of charged moieties. Here, a novel polyampholyte hydrogel was grafted onto the surface of polyethersulfone membrane by copolymerizing a mixture of vinylsulfonic acid (VSA) and [2-(methacryloyloxy)ethyl]trimethylammonium chloride (METMAC) as the negatively and positively charged monomers, respectively, using various monomer ratios in the polymerization solution, and with N,N'-methylenebisacrylamide as the crosslinker. The physicochemical, morphological and anti-fouling properties of the modified membranes were systematically investigated. Hydrophilic hydrogels were successfully grafted using monomers at different molar ratios. A thin-film zwitterion hydrogel (∼90 nm) was achieved at a 3:1 [VSA:METMAC] molar ratio in the polymerization solution. Among all examined membranes, the zwitterion polyampholyte-modified membrane demonstrated the lowest adsorption of proteins, humic acid, and sodium alginate. It also had low fouling and high flux recovery following filtration with a protein or with an extracellular polymeric substance solution. These findings suggest that this polyampholyte hydrogel is applicable as a low fouling surface coating. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  9. Photonic crystal fiber interferometric pH sensor based on polyvinyl alcohol/polyacrylic acid hydrogel coating.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hu, Pengbing; Dong, Xinyong; Wong, Wei Chang; Chen, Li Han; Ni, Kai; Chan, Chi Chiu

    2015-04-01

    We present a simple photonic crystal fiber interferometer (PCFI) that operates in reflection mode for pH measurement. The sensor is made by coating polyvinyl alcohol/polyacrylic acid (PVA/PAA) hydrogel onto the surface of the PCFI, constructed by splicing a stub of PCF at the distal end of a single-mode fiber with its free end airhole collapsed. The experimental results demonstrate a high average sensitivity of 0.9 nm/pH unit for the 11 wt.% PVA/PAA coated sensor in the pH range from 2.5 to 6.5. The sensor also displays high repeatability and stability and low cross-sensitivity to temperature. Fast, reversible rise and fall times of 12 s and 18 s, respectively, are achieved for the sensor time response.

  10. Acetic and Acrylic Acid Molecular Imprinted Model Silicone Hydrogel Materials for Ciprofloxacin-HCl Delivery

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lyndon Jones

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Contact lenses, as an alternative drug delivery vehicle for the eye compared to eye drops, are desirable due to potential advantages in dosing regimen, bioavailability and patient tolerance/compliance. The challenge has been to engineer and develop these materials to sustain drug delivery to the eye for a long period of time. In this study, model silicone hydrogel materials were created using a molecular imprinting strategy to deliver the antibiotic ciprofloxacin. Acetic and acrylic acid were used as the functional monomers, to interact with the ciprofloxacin template to efficiently create recognition cavities within the final polymerized material. Synthesized materials were loaded with 9.06 mM, 0.10 mM and 0.025 mM solutions of ciprofloxacin, and the release of ciprofloxacin into an artificial tear solution was monitored over time. The materials were shown to release for periods varying from 3 to 14 days, dependent on the loading solution, functional monomer concentration and functional monomer:template ratio, with materials with greater monomer:template ratio (8:1 and 16:1 imprinted tending to release for longer periods of time. Materials with a lower monomer:template ratio (4:1 imprinted tended to release comparatively greater amounts of ciprofloxacin into solution, but the release was somewhat shorter. The total amount of drug released from the imprinted materials was sufficient to reach levels relevant to inhibit the growth of common ocular isolates of bacteria. This work is one of the first to demonstrate the feasibility of molecular imprinting in model silicone hydrogel-type materials.

  11. [Thromboresistance of glucose-containing hydrogels].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Valuev, I L; Valuev, L I; Vanchugova, L V; Obydennova, I V; Valueva, T A

    2013-01-01

    The thromboresistance of glucose-sensitive polymer hydrogels, modeling one of the functions of the pancreas, namely, the ability to secrete insulin in response to the introduction of glucose into the environment, has been studied. Hydrogels were synthesized by the copolymerization of hydroxyethyl methacrylate with N-acryloyl glucosamine in the presence of a cross-linking agent and subsequently treated with concanavalin A. Introduction of glucose residues into the hydrogel did not result in significant changes in either the number of trombocytes adhered to the hydrogel or the degree of denaturation of blood plasma proteins interacting with the hydrogel. Consequently, the biological activity of insulin did not change after release from the hydrogel. The use of glucose-sensitive hydrogels is supposed to contribute to the development of a novel strategy for the treatment of diabetes.

  12. Biomedical hydrogels biochemistry, manufacture and medical applications

    CERN Document Server

    Rimmer, Steve

    2011-01-01

    Hydrogels are very important for biomedical applications because they can be chemically manipulated to alter and control the hydrogel's interaction with cells and tissues. Their flexibility and high water content is similar to that of natural tissue, making them extremely suitable for biomaterials applications. Biomedical hydrogels explores the diverse range and use of hydrogels, focusing on processing methods and novel applications in the field of implants and prostheses. Part one of this book concentrates on the processing of hydrogels, covering hydrogel swelling behaviour, superabsorbent cellulose-based hydrogels and regulation of novel hydrogel products, as well as chapters focusing on the structure and properties of hydrogels and different fabrication technologies. Part two covers existing and novel applications of hydrogels, including chapters on spinal disc and cartilage replacement implants, hydrogels for ophthalmic prostheses and hydrogels for wound healing applications. The role of hydrogels in imag...

  13. Synthesis and Characterization of Poly(hydroxyethyl methacrylate-co-methacrylic acid) Cross Linked Polymeric Network for the Delivery of Analgesic Agent

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rashid, H.; Ahmad, M.; Minhas, M. U.; Aamir, M. F.; Sohail, M.

    2015-01-01

    Objective of the study was to synthesize a chemically cross-linked poly(hydroxyethylmethacrylate-co-methacrylic acid) hydrogel (p(HEMA-co-MAA hydrogel)) for pH-responsive, controlled drug delivery of Flurbiprofen. pH-sensitive hydrogel drug delivery system was synthesized with the help of poly hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) and methacrylic acid (MAA) by using ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) as crosslinker. The monomers (HEMA and MAA) were successfully cross linked through free radical polymerization process, initiated by benzoyl peroxide in an aqueous medium. All formulations were loaded with Flurbiprofen as a model drug and evaluated at pH 1.2 and pH 7.4 to investigate pH-responsive nature of the system. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) was performed to confirm the cross-linking of copolymer while thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) were performed to evaluate the thermal stability of the system. Swelling studies and in-vitro release studies were carried out to evaluate pH-responsive nature of the hydrogels. FTIR confirmed that monomers were successfully cross-linked to form a copolymer. Hydrogel system showed less swelling at lower pH while at higher pH, it showed higher swelling, releasing drug in the same fashion. It was concluded that a stable hydrogel network was chemically cross-linked showing pH-responsive nature and thus, synthesized p(HEMA-co-MAA) hydrogels can be successfully employed as potential candidate for controlled drug delivery. (author)

  14. Development of polymer-polysaccharide hydrogels for controlling drug delivery

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baldwin, Aaron David

    Michael type addition of thiol derivatives to N-ethylmaleimide (NEM) undergoes retro and exchange reactions in the presence of other thiol compounds at physiological pH and temperature. Model studies of NEM conjugated to various thiols (4-mercaptophenylacetic acid (MPA), N-acetylcysteine, or 3-mercaptopropionic acid (MP)), incubated with a naturally occurring reducing agent, glutathione, showed half-lives from 20-80 hrs with extents of conversion from 20-90% for MPA and N-acetylcysteine conjugates. The kinetics of the retro reactions and extent of exchange can be modulated by the Michael donor's reactivity; therefore the degradation of maleimide-thiol adducts could be tuned for controlled release of drugs or degradation of materials at timescales different than those currently possible via disulfide-mediated release. The reduction sensitive maleimide-thiol chemistry was then investigated as a crosslinking mechanism for LMWH hydrogels. Crosslinking maleimide functionalized LMWH with PEG functionalized with thiophenyl functionalities imparted glutathione sensitivity. 4-mercaptophenylpropionic acid and 2,2-dimethyl-3-(4-mercaptophenyl)propionic acid, induced sensitivity to glutathione as shown by a decrease in degradation time of 4x and 5x respectively. The pseudo-first order retro reaction constants were approximately an order of magnitude slower than hydrogels crosslinked via disulfide linkages, indicating the potential use of the retro succinimide-thioether covalent bonds for reduction mediated release and/or degradation with increased blood stability and prolonged drug delivery timescales compared to disulfide chemistries. In summary, this work highlights the use of polymer-polysaccharide hydrogels composed of LMWH and PEG as investigated for drug delivery and as a tool for elucidating a novel reduction sensitive controlled release mechanism.

  15. Preparation and Study on Properties of Superabsorbent Hydrogel Composites of Acrylamide-Acrylic Acid and Zeolite in Agricultural Uses

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shohreh Vosuoghi

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Water shortage is one of the most important environmental problems in arid and semi-arid areas which cause complications in land vegetations. The use of superabsorbent hydrogel is one of the most vital methods, which helps to optimize agricultural irrigations. The purpose of this research is preparation and study on properties the superabsorbent hydrogels by copolymerization of acrylamide and acrylic acid monomers using zeolite as nanoclay particles (0, 0.05, 0.1, 0.15. The optimum amount of nanoparticles in relation to its effect on superabsorbent structure and properties, such as water absorbency, was investigated through designing experiments using FFD software. We used methylene bisacrylamide and ammonium ‌persulfate as crosslinker and initiator, respectively. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA, Fourier transform spectroscopy (FTIR, scanning electron microscopy (SEM and X-ray diffractometry (XRD test results showed that the addition of nanoclay up to 0.1g caused improvement in the physical and chemical properties of superabsorbent such as thermal resistance, porous structure and uniform network structure. The superabsorbent hydrogel could absorb 1100 (g/g distilled water. The water absorption and water retention of superabsorbent were studied by loading it in 5 different soil texture classes which were 0:100, 25:75, 50:50, 75:25 and 100:0 mixture fractions of sand/loam soil. As a result, it was observed that in the first week after irrigation, the best retention of initial moisture belonged to the soil with 50% sand texture, and also the soil with sand texture returned to its initial weight after 53 days (i.e., 30 days later than the control sample.

  16. Degradation-mediated cellular traction directs stem cell fate in covalently crosslinked three-dimensional hydrogels

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khetan, Sudhir; Guvendiren, Murat; Legant, Wesley R.; Cohen, Daniel M.; Chen, Christopher S.; Burdick, Jason A.

    2013-05-01

    Although cell-matrix adhesive interactions are known to regulate stem cell differentiation, the underlying mechanisms, in particular for direct three-dimensional encapsulation within hydrogels, are poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate that in covalently crosslinked hyaluronic acid (HA) hydrogels, the differentiation of human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) is directed by the generation of degradation-mediated cellular traction, independently of cell morphology or matrix mechanics. hMSCs within HA hydrogels of equivalent elastic moduli that permit (restrict) cell-mediated degradation exhibited high (low) degrees of cell spreading and high (low) tractions, and favoured osteogenesis (adipogenesis). Moreover, switching the permissive hydrogel to a restrictive state through delayed secondary crosslinking reduced further hydrogel degradation, suppressed traction, and caused a switch from osteogenesis to adipogenesis in the absence of changes to the extended cellular morphology. Furthermore, inhibiting tension-mediated signalling in the permissive environment mirrored the effects of delayed secondary crosslinking, whereas upregulating tension induced osteogenesis even in the restrictive environment.

  17. Ionic Conductivity of Polyelectrolyte Hydrogels.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Chen-Jung; Wu, Haiyan; Hu, Yang; Young, Megan; Wang, Huifeng; Lynch, Dylan; Xu, Fujian; Cong, Hongbo; Cheng, Gang

    2018-02-14

    Polyelectrolytes have many important functions in both living organisms and man-made applications. One key property of polyelectrolytes is the ionic conductivity due to their porous networks that allow the transport of water and small molecular solutes. Among polyelectrolytes, zwitterionic polymers have attracted huge attention for applications that involve ion transport in a polyelectrolyte matrix; however, it is still unclear how the functional groups of zwitterionic polymer side chains affect their ion transport and swelling properties. In this study, zwitterionic poly(carboxybetaine acrylamide), poly(2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine), and poly(sulfobetaine methacrylate) hydrogels were synthesized and their ionic conductivity was studied and compared to cationic, anionic, and nonionic hydrogels. The change of the ionic conductivity of zwitterionic and nonionic hydrogels in different saline solutions was investigated in detail. Zwitterionic hydrogels showed much higher ionic conductivity than that of the widely used nonionic poly(ethylene glycol) methyl ether methacrylate hydrogel in all tested solutions. For both cationic and anionic hydrogels, the presence of mobile counterions led to high ionic conductivity in low salt solutions; however, the ionic conductivity of zwitterionic hydrogels surpassed that of cationic and ionic hydrogels in high salt solutions. Cationic and anionic hydrogels showed much higher water content than that of zwitterionic hydrogels in deionized water; however, the cationic hydrogels shrank significantly with increasing saline concentration. This work provides insight into the effects of polyelectrolyte side chains on ion transport. This can guide us in choosing better polyelectrolytes for a broad spectrum of applications, including bioelectronics, neural implants, battery, and so on.

  18. Biomimetic hydrogel materials

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bertozzi, Carolyn; Mukkamala, Ravindranath; Chen, Qing; Hu, Hopin; Baude, Dominique

    2000-01-01

    Novel biomimetic hydrogel materials and methods for their preparation. Hydrogels containing acrylamide-functionalized carbohydrate, sulfoxide, sulfide or sulfone copolymerized with a hydrophilic or hydrophobic copolymerizing material selected from the group consisting of an acrylamide, methacrylamide, acrylate, methacrylate, vinyl and a derivative thereof present in concentration from about 1 to about 99 wt %. and methods for their preparation. The method of use of the new hydrogels for fabrication of soft contact lenses and biomedical implants.

  19. Cytocompatible cellulose hydrogels containing trace lignin

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nakasone, Kazuki; Kobayashi, Takaomi

    2016-01-01

    Sugarcane bagasse was used as a cellulose resource to prepare transparent and flexible cellulose hydrogel films. On the purification process from bagasse to cellulose, the effect of lignin residues in the cellulose was examined for the properties and cytocompatibility of the resultant hydrogel films. The cellulose was dissolved in lithium chloride/N,N-dimethylacetamide solution and converted to hydrogel films by phase inversion. In the purification process, sodium hydroxide (NaOH) treatment time was changed from 1 to 12 h. This resulted in cellulose hydrogel films having small amounts of lignin from 1.62 to 0.68%. The remaining lignin greatly affected hydrogel properties. Water content of the hydrogel films was increased from 1153 to 1525% with a decrease of lignin content. Moreover, lower lignin content caused weakening of tensile strength from 0.80 to 0.43 N/mm"2 and elongation from 45.2 to 26.5%. Also, similar tendency was observed in viscoelastic behavior of the cellulose hydrogel films. Evidence was shown that the lignin residue was effective for the high strength of the hydrogel films. In addition, scanning probe microscopy in the morphological observation was suggested that the trace lignin in the cellulose hydrogel affected the cellulose fiber aggregation in the hydrogel network. The trace of lignin in the hydrogels also influenced fibroblast cell culture on the hydrogel films. The hydrogel film containing 1.68% lignin showed better fibroblast compatibility as compared to cell culture polystyrene dish used as reference. - Highlights: • Cellulose hydrogel films with trace lignin were obtained from sugarcane bagasse. • Lignin content was found to be in the range of 1.62 − 0.68% by UV–Vis spectroscopy. • Higher lignin content strengthened mechanical properties of the hydrogel films. • Trace lignin affected the hydrogel morphology such as roughness and porosity. • High cell proliferation was observed in the hydrogel containing 1.68% lignin.

  20. Cytocompatible cellulose hydrogels containing trace lignin

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nakasone, Kazuki; Kobayashi, Takaomi, E-mail: takaomi@nagaoakut.ac.jp

    2016-07-01

    Sugarcane bagasse was used as a cellulose resource to prepare transparent and flexible cellulose hydrogel films. On the purification process from bagasse to cellulose, the effect of lignin residues in the cellulose was examined for the properties and cytocompatibility of the resultant hydrogel films. The cellulose was dissolved in lithium chloride/N,N-dimethylacetamide solution and converted to hydrogel films by phase inversion. In the purification process, sodium hydroxide (NaOH) treatment time was changed from 1 to 12 h. This resulted in cellulose hydrogel films having small amounts of lignin from 1.62 to 0.68%. The remaining lignin greatly affected hydrogel properties. Water content of the hydrogel films was increased from 1153 to 1525% with a decrease of lignin content. Moreover, lower lignin content caused weakening of tensile strength from 0.80 to 0.43 N/mm{sup 2} and elongation from 45.2 to 26.5%. Also, similar tendency was observed in viscoelastic behavior of the cellulose hydrogel films. Evidence was shown that the lignin residue was effective for the high strength of the hydrogel films. In addition, scanning probe microscopy in the morphological observation was suggested that the trace lignin in the cellulose hydrogel affected the cellulose fiber aggregation in the hydrogel network. The trace of lignin in the hydrogels also influenced fibroblast cell culture on the hydrogel films. The hydrogel film containing 1.68% lignin showed better fibroblast compatibility as compared to cell culture polystyrene dish used as reference. - Highlights: • Cellulose hydrogel films with trace lignin were obtained from sugarcane bagasse. • Lignin content was found to be in the range of 1.62 − 0.68% by UV–Vis spectroscopy. • Higher lignin content strengthened mechanical properties of the hydrogel films. • Trace lignin affected the hydrogel morphology such as roughness and porosity. • High cell proliferation was observed in the hydrogel containing 1.68% lignin.

  1. Development of an in situ polymeric hydrogel implant of ...

    African Journals Online (AJOL)

    Purpose: To prepare and characterize in situ gel-forming implants of methylprednisolone for the treatment of spinal cord injuries. Methods: In situ hydrogels of methylprednisolone were prepared by dispersing polylactide glycolic acid (PLGA) polymer and methylprednisolone in N-methyl-pyrrolidone solvent, and subsequent ...

  2. Synthesis, characterization and properties of radiation-induced Starch/(EG-co-MAA hydrogels

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    H.L. Abd El-Mohdy

    2016-11-01

    Full Text Available Association of poly(carboxylic acids and non-ionic polymers in solutions via hydrogen bonding results in formation of novel polymeric materials–interpolymer complexes. Starch/(EG-co-MAA polymeric hydrogels were obtained by γ-initiated radiation copolymerization of ethylene glycol (EG with methacrylic acid (MAA which grafted on starch. The gel content of prepared hydrogels was varied with changes in starch content, EG:MAA composition and irradiation dose as well as crosslinking density. The swelling was studied as a function of starch content, EG:MAA composition, irradiation dose, type of soaked liquid, pH and temperature of matrix-surrounding medium. The degree of swelling greatly increased with enhanced MAA content, pH and temperature whereas, it decreased with reduced starch content and irradiation dose. The swelling was varied with the polarity of soaked liquid. The results showed that Starch/(EG-co-MAA hydrogels reached the equilibrium swelling state in water after 72 h. The structure and surface morphology of prepared polymer were confirmed with FTIR and SEM, respectively. The thermal properties of hydrogels were studied by using DSC and TGA, they cleared that there is miscibility between EG and MAA in copolymer and adding them improve the thermal stability of starch. The results indicate that Starch/(EG-co-MAA materials may be used in various applications.

  3. Rational Design, Synthesis and Evaluation of γ-CD-Containing Cross-Linked Polyvinyl Alcohol Hydrogel as a Prednisone Delivery Platform

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Adolfo Marican

    2018-03-01

    Full Text Available This study describes the in-silico rational design, synthesis and evaluation of cross-linked polyvinyl alcohol hydrogels containing γ-cyclodextrin (γ-CDHSAs as platforms for the sustained release of prednisone (PDN. Through in-silico studies using semi-empirical quantum mechanical calculations, the effectiveness of 20 dicarboxylic acids to generate a specific cross-linked hydrogel capable of supporting different amounts of γ-cyclodextrin (γ-CD was evaluated. According to the interaction energies calculated with the in-silico studies, the hydrogel made from PVA cross-linked with succinic acids (SA was shown to be the best candidate for containing γ-CD. Later, molecular dynamics simulation studies were performed in order to evaluate the intermolecular interactions between PDN and three cross-linked hydrogel formulations with different proportions of γ-CD (2.44%, 4.76% and 9.1%. These three cross-linked hydrogels were synthesized and characterized. The loading and the subsequent release of PDN from the hydrogels were investigated. The in-silico and experimental results showed that the interaction between PDN and γ-CDHSA was mainly produced with the γ-CDs linked to the hydrogels. Thus, the unique structures and properties of γ-CDHSA demonstrated an interesting multiphasic profile that could be utilized as a promising drug carrier for controlled, sustained and localized release of PDN.

  4. UV-crosslinkable photoreactive self-adhesive hydrogels based on acrylics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Czech Zbigniew

    2016-06-01

    Full Text Available Hydrogels are a unique class of macromolecular networks that can hold a large fraction of an aqueous solvent within their structure. They are suitable for biomedical area including controlled drug delivery and for technical applications as self-adhesive materials for bonding of wet surfaces. This paper describes photoreactive self-adhesive hydrogels based on acrylics crosslinked using UV radiation. They are prepared in ethyl acetate through radical polymerization of monomers mixture containing 2-ethylhexyl acrylate (2-EHA, butyl acrylate (BA, acrylic acid (AA and copolymerizable photoinitiator 4-acryloyloxy benzophenone (ABP at presence of radical starter 2.2’-azobis-diisobutyronitrile AIBN. The synthesized acrylic copolymers were determined by viscosity and GPC analysis and later modified using ethoxylated amines. 4-acryloyloxy benzophenone (ABP was used as crosslinking monomer. After UV crosslinking the properties of these novel synthesized hydrogels, such as tack, peel adhesion, shears strength, elongation and water adsorption were also studied.

  5. Preparation of Zeolite Molecular Sieve by Using Hydrogel Method

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Swe Zin Win; Mu Mu Htay; Mya Mya Oo

    2010-12-01

    Zeolite A was synthesized from hydrogel solution which prepared from silica and alumina precursors under hydrothermal condition at atmospheric pressure. Before preparing of hydrogel solution, the amount of raw materials which used in resulting hydrogel with appropriate mole ratio was calculated by material balance. In this study,totally ten experiments were carried out for zeolite A formation. The important parameters for these experiments were the kinds of precursors,their concentration (starting material composition), synthesis time and temperature. All product samples from these experiments were characterized by X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) and analyzed by gravimetric method. The results show that the favourable sample for this research work which can be prepared with a molar composition of SiO2: Al2O3: 2Na2O: 70H2O by agitation at room temperature for 30 minutes, ageing at room temperature and crystallization at 95Ccentre dot centre dot for 24hrs. The percent yield of favourable result is 70%.

  6. The conjugation of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID to small peptides for generating multifunctional supramolecular nanofibers/hydrogels

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jiayang Li

    2013-05-01

    Full Text Available Here we report supramolecular hydrogelators made of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID and small peptides. The covalent linkage of Phe–Phe and NSAIDs results in conjugates that self-assemble in water to form molecular nanofibers as the matrices of hydrogels. When the NSAID is naproxen (1, the resultant hydrogelator 1a forms a hydrogel at a critical concentration (cgc of 0.2 wt % at pH 7.0. Hydrogelator 1a, also acting as a general motif, enables enzymatic hydrogelation in which the precursor turns into a hydrogelator upon hydrolysis catalyzed by a phosphatase at physiological conditions. The conjugates of Phe–Phe with other NSAIDs, such as (R-flurbiprofen (2, racemic flurbiprofen (3, and racemic ibuprofen (4, are able to form molecular hydrogels, except in the case of aspirin (5. After the conjugation with the small peptides, NSAIDs exhibit improved selectivity to their targets. In addition, the peptides made of D-amino acids help preserve the activities of NSAIDs. Besides demonstrating that common NSAIDs are excellent candidates to promote aromatic–aromatic interaction in water to form hydrogels, this work contributes to the development of functional molecules that have dual or multiple roles and ultimately may lead to new molecular hydrogels of therapeutic agents for topical use.

  7. The synthesis of hydrogels with controlled distribution of polymer brushes in hydrogel network

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sun, YuWei; Zhou, Chao; Zhang, AoKai; Xu, LiQun; Yao, Fang [School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Southeast University, Jiangning District, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, 211189 (China); Cen, Lian, E-mail: cenlian@hotmail.com [National Tissue Engineering Center of China, No.68, East Jiang Chuan Road, Shanghai, 200241 (China); School of Chemical Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, No.130, Mei Long Road, Shanghai, 200237 (China); Fu, Guo-Dong, E-mail: fu7352@seu.edu.cn [School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Southeast University, Jiangning District, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, 211189 (China)

    2014-11-30

    Highlights: • Many biological tissues are 3-dimensionally asymmetric in structure and properties, it would be desirable if hydrogels could bear such structural similarity with specialized surface and bulk properties. Moreover, gradual but continuous variation in spatial structural and property is also a common phenomenon in biological tissues, such as interfaces between bone and tendon, or between bone and cartilage. Hence, the development of a method to introduce well-defined functional polymer brushes on PEG hydrogels, especially with precisely controlled spatial structure in 3-dimensions, would impart the hydrogels with special functionalities and wider applications. Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) hydrogels with 3-dimensionally controlled well-defined poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (poly(NIPAAm)) brushes were prepared by combined copper(I)-catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (“Click Chemistry”) and atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). The resulting hydrogels were presented as representatives with their detailed synthesis routes and characterization. H{sub PEG}-S-poly(NIPAAm) is a hydrogel with poly(NIPAAm) brushes mainly grafted on surface, whereas H{sub PEG}-G-poly(NIPAAm) has a gradiently decreased poly(NIPAAm) brushes in their chain length from surface to inside. On the other hand, poly(NIPAAm) brushes in H{sub PEG}-U-poly(NIPAAm) are uniformly dispersed throughout the whole hydrogel network. Successful preparation of H{sub PEG}-S-poly(NIPAAm), H{sub PEG}-G-poly(NIPAAm) and H{sub PEG}-U-poly(NIPAAm) were ascertained by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and water contact angle measurement. Hence, the flexibility and controllability of the synthetic strategy in varying the distribution of polymer brushes and hydrogel surface properties was demonstrated. Hydrogels with tunable and well-defined 3-dimensional poly(NIPAAm) polymer brushes could be tailor-designed to find potential applications in smart devices or skin dressing, such as for diabetics

  8. Controlled release of sphingosine-1-phosphate agonist with gelatin hydrogels for macrophage recruitment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Murakami, Masahiro; Saito, Takashi; Tabata, Yasuhiko

    2014-11-01

    The objective of this study is to design a drug delivery system (DDS) for the in vivo promotion of macrophage recruitment. As the drug, a water-insoluble agonist of sphingosine-1-phosphate type 1 receptor (SEW2871) was selected. SEW2871 (SEW) was water-solubilized by micelle formation with gelatin grafted by L-lactic acid oligomer. SEW micelles were mixed with gelatin, followed by dehydrothermal crosslinking of gelatin to obtain gelatin hydrogels incorporating SEW micelles. SEW was released from the hydrogels incorporating SEW micelles in vitro and in vivo. The water-solubilized SEW showed in vitro macrophage migration activity. When implanted into the back subcutis or the skin wound defect of mice, the hydrogel incorporating SEW micelles promoted macrophage migration toward the tissue around the implanted site to a significantly great extent compared with SEW-free hydrogel and that mixed with SEW micelles. The hydrogel is a promising DDS to enhance macrophage recruitment in vivo. Copyright © 2014 Acta Materialia Inc. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  9. In vivo guided vascular regeneration with a non-porous elastin-like polypeptide hydrogel tubular scaffold.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mahara, Atsushi; Kiick, Kristi L; Yamaoka, Tetsuji

    2017-06-01

    Herein, we demonstrate a new approach for small-caliber vascular reconstruction using a non-porous elastin-like polypeptide hydrogel tubular scaffold, based on the concept of guided vascular regeneration (GVR). The scaffolds are composed of elastin-like polypeptide, (Val-Pro-Gly-Ile-Gly) n , for compliance matching and antithrombogenicity and an Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) motif for connective tissue regeneration. When the polypeptide was mixed with an aqueous solution of β-[Tris(hydroxymethyl)phosphino]propionic acid at 37°C, the polypeptide hydrogel was rapidly formed. The elastic modulus of the hydrogel was 4.4 kPa. The hydrogel tubular scaffold was formed in a mold and reinforced with poly(lactic acid) nanofibers. When tubular scaffolds with an inner diameter of 1 mm and length of 5 mm were implanted into rat abdominal aortae, connective tissue grew along the scaffold luminal surface from the flanking native tissues, resulting in new blood vessel tissue with a thickness of 200 μm in 1 month. In contrast, rats implanted with control scaffolds without the RGD motif died. These results indicate that the non-porous hydrogel tubular scaffold containing the RGD motif effectively induced rapid tissue regeneration and that GVR is a promising strategy for the regeneration of small-diameter blood vessels. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 105A: 1746-1755, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  10. Antifouling properties of hydrogels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Murosaki, Takayuki; Gong, Jian Ping; Ahmed, Nafees

    2011-01-01

    Marine sessile organisms easily adhere to submerged solids such as rocks, metals and plastics, but not to seaweeds and fishes, which are covered with soft and wet 'hydrogel'. Inspired by this fact, we have studied long-term antifouling properties of hydrogels against marine sessile organisms. Hydrogels, especially those containing hydroxy group and sulfonic group, show excellent antifouling activity against barnacles both in laboratory assays and in the marine environment. The extreme low settlement on hydrogels in vitro and in vivo is mainly caused by antifouling properties against the barnacle cypris. (topical review)

  11. Antifouling properties of hydrogels

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Takayuki Murosaki, Nafees Ahmed and Jian Ping Gong

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Marine sessile organisms easily adhere to submerged solids such as rocks, metals and plastics, but not to seaweeds and fishes, which are covered with soft and wet 'hydrogel'. Inspired by this fact, we have studied long-term antifouling properties of hydrogels against marine sessile organisms. Hydrogels, especially those containing hydroxy group and sulfonic group, show excellent antifouling activity against barnacles both in laboratory assays and in the marine environment. The extreme low settlement on hydrogels in vitro and in vivo is mainly caused by antifouling properties against the barnacle cypris.

  12. Self-healable mussel-mimetic nanocomposite hydrogel based on catechol-containing polyaspartamide and graphene oxide

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang, Bo; Jeon, Young Sil; Park, Ho Seok; Kim, Ji-Heung

    2016-01-01

    Stimuli-responsive and self-healing materials have a wide range of potential uses, and some significant research has focused on cross-linking of hydrogel materials by means of reversible coordination bonding. The resulting materials, however, tend to have poor mechanical properties with pronounced weakness and brittleness. In this work, we present a novel mussel-inspired graphene oxide(GO)–containing hydrogel based on modified polyaspartamide with γ-amino butyric acid (GABA), 3.4-dihydroxyphenethylamine (DOPA), and ethanolamine (EA), termed PolyAspAm(GABA/DOPA/EA). Here both GO nanosheets and boric acid (H 3 BO 3 ) act as cross-linkers, interacting with polar functional groups of the PolyAspAm(GABA/DOPA/EA). Compared to PolyAspAm(GABA/DOPA/EA)/B 3+ gel without GO, the same containing 5 wt% of GO yielded a 10-fold increase in both the storage and loss moduli, as well as 134% and 104% increases in the tensile and compressive strengths, respectively. In addition, the GO-containing polyaspartamide hydrogel exhibited rapid and autonomous self-healing property. Two types of bonding, boron–catechol coordination and strong hydrogen bonding interactions between PolyAspAm side chains and GO nanosheets, would impart the enhanced mechanical strength and good reversible gelation behavior upon pH stimulation to the hydrogel, making this biocompatible hydrogel a promising soft matter for biomedical applications. - Highlights: • Novel GO-containing nanocomposite hydrogels based on dopamine-conjugated polyaspartamide derivative was prepared. • Improvement in the mechanical property of composite gel by GO incorporation was elucidated. • The “smart” characteristics of pH-responsive gelation and rapid self-healing were demonstrated.

  13. Self-healable mussel-mimetic nanocomposite hydrogel based on catechol-containing polyaspartamide and graphene oxide

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wang, Bo; Jeon, Young Sil; Park, Ho Seok; Kim, Ji-Heung, E-mail: kimjh@skku.edu

    2016-12-01

    Stimuli-responsive and self-healing materials have a wide range of potential uses, and some significant research has focused on cross-linking of hydrogel materials by means of reversible coordination bonding. The resulting materials, however, tend to have poor mechanical properties with pronounced weakness and brittleness. In this work, we present a novel mussel-inspired graphene oxide(GO)–containing hydrogel based on modified polyaspartamide with γ-amino butyric acid (GABA), 3.4-dihydroxyphenethylamine (DOPA), and ethanolamine (EA), termed PolyAspAm(GABA/DOPA/EA). Here both GO nanosheets and boric acid (H{sub 3}BO{sub 3}) act as cross-linkers, interacting with polar functional groups of the PolyAspAm(GABA/DOPA/EA). Compared to PolyAspAm(GABA/DOPA/EA)/B{sup 3+} gel without GO, the same containing 5 wt% of GO yielded a 10-fold increase in both the storage and loss moduli, as well as 134% and 104% increases in the tensile and compressive strengths, respectively. In addition, the GO-containing polyaspartamide hydrogel exhibited rapid and autonomous self-healing property. Two types of bonding, boron–catechol coordination and strong hydrogen bonding interactions between PolyAspAm side chains and GO nanosheets, would impart the enhanced mechanical strength and good reversible gelation behavior upon pH stimulation to the hydrogel, making this biocompatible hydrogel a promising soft matter for biomedical applications. - Highlights: • Novel GO-containing nanocomposite hydrogels based on dopamine-conjugated polyaspartamide derivative was prepared. • Improvement in the mechanical property of composite gel by GO incorporation was elucidated. • The “smart” characteristics of pH-responsive gelation and rapid self-healing were demonstrated.

  14. One-pot synthesis of a chitosan-based hydrogel as a potential device for magnetic biomaterial

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Paulino, Alexandre T.; Guilherme, Marcos R.; Almeida, Elisangela A.M.S. de; Pereira, Antonio G.B.; Muniz, Edvani C.; Tambourgi, Elias B.

    2009-01-01

    This describes the cross-linking/co-polymerization reaction of chitosan (CS), acrylic acid (AAc), and N, N'-methylenebisacrylamide (MBA) in the presence of citrate-covered-γ-Fe 2 O 3 nanoparticules. A gelling process was verified by means of spectroscopic methods; Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) and solid-state 13 C-CP/MAS nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). The corresponding signals of the gelling process, in the 13 C NMR spectra, for the magnetic hydrogel were shifted to lower values due to embedding of the citrate-covered-γ-Fe 2 O 3 nanoparticules. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) confirmed that the crystallinity of the magnetic hydrogel exhibited a different crystalline structure to that without magnetic properties. The Moessbauer and magnetization analysis revealed that the magnetic hydrogel displays a high lattice strain, due to bonded iron atom covalence and superparamagnetism. From scanning electronic microscope (SEM) micrographs, no separation phase coexists between the magnetic nanoparticules and cross-linked hydrogel, indicating an excellent dispersion throughout the hydrogel. The swelling rate was dependent on the cross-linking degree of the hydrogel and ionic strength of the aqueous solution.

  15. Fluorescence Imaging in Genipin Crosslinked Chitosan–Poly(vinyl pyrrolidone Hydrogels

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Simon Matcham

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available Recent research has identified genipin as a promising natural crosslinking agent for biocompatible hydrogels as genipin is significantly less cytotoxic than current synthetic crosslinking agents, such as glutaraldehyde. Conveniently, fluorophores can be produced when genipin crosslinks. In this study, fluorescence intensity measurements of genipin crosslinked chitosan-poly(vinyl pyrrolidone hydrogels have been explored as a dynamic, in situ method for tracing sol-gel transition. These pH-responsive smart materials have a future in medical applications, in particular in tissue engineering and drug delivery, where methods to follow the process in situ and in real-time are crucial for future advancement. Samples were prepared using deionised water, pH 4, and pH 10 solutions, and studied at 24 and 37 °C over a 24 h period. Both temperature and pH have been found to affect sol-gel transition in the hydrogels studied. The transition from acidic (pH 4 to basic (pH 10 solution resulted in reduced fluorescence intensity suggesting that, under more basic conditions, genipin molecules self-polymerise, reducing the number of molecules available for reaction with the amino groups of chitosan. Three-dimensional representations of the fluorescence present in a hydrogel sample have also been produced from the data, enabling the visualisation of variation in fluorescence with time at the surface of the hydrogel.

  16. DESIGN AND CHARACTERIZATION OF A BIOCOMPATIBLE PHYSICAL HYDROGEL BASED ON SCLEROGLUCAN FOR TOPICAL DRUG DELIVERY.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paolicelli, Patrizia; Varani, Gabriele; Pacelli, Settimio; Ogliani, Elisa; Nardoni, Martina; Petralito, Stefania; Adrover, Alessandra; Casadei, Maria Antonietta

    2017-10-15

    Physical hydrogels of a high-carboxymethylated derivative of scleroglucan (Scl-CM 300 ) were investigated as potential systems for topical drug delivery using three different therapeutic molecules (fluconazole, diclofenac and betamethasone). Rheological tests were carried out on drug-loaded hydrogels along with in-vitro release studies in a vertical Franz cell, in order to investigate if and how different drugs may influence the rheological and release properties of Scl-CM 300 hydrogels. Experimental results and theoretical modeling highlighted that, in the absence of drug/polymer interactions (as for fluconazole and betamethasone) Scl-CM 300 matrices offer negligible resistance to drug diffusion and a Fickian transport model can be adopted to estimate the effective diffusion coefficient in the swollen hydrogel. The presence of weak drug/hydrogel chemical bonds (as for diclofenac), confirmed by frequency sweep tests, slow down the drug release kinetics and a non-Fickian two-phase transport model has to be adopted. In-vivo experiments on rabbits evidenced optimal skin tolerability of Scl-CM 300 hydrogels after topical application. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  17. A potential bioactive wound dressing based on carboxymethyl cellulose/ZnO impregnated MCM-41 nanocomposite hydrogel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rakhshaei, Rasul [Research Laboratory of Dendrimers and Nanopolymers, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Tabriz, P.O. Box 51666, Tabriz (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Namazi, Hassan, E-mail: namazi@tabrizu.ac.ir [Research Laboratory of Dendrimers and Nanopolymers, Faculty of Chemistry, University of Tabriz, P.O. Box 51666, Tabriz (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Research Center for Pharmaceutical Nanotechnology, Tabriz University of Medical Science, Tabriz (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

    2017-04-01

    Lack of antibacterial activity, deficient water vapor and oxygen permeability, and insufficient mechanical properties are disadvantages of existing wound dressings. Hydrogels could absorb wound exudates due to their strong swelling ratio and give a cooling sensation and a wet environment. To overcome these shortcomings, flexible nanocomposite hydrogel films was prepared through combination of zinc oxide impregnated mesoporous silica (ZnO-MCM-41) as a nano drug carrier with carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) hydrogel. Citric acid was used as cross linker to avoid the cytotoxicity of conventional cross linkers. The prepared nanocomposite hydrogel was characterized using X-ray diffractometry (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Zeta potential and UV–vis spectroscopy. Results of swelling and erosion tests showed CMC/ZnO nanocomposite hydrogel disintegrated during the first hours of the test. Using MCM-41 as a substrate for ZnO nanoparticles solved this problem and the CMC/ZnO-MCM-41 showed a great improvement in tensile strength (12%), swelling (100%), erosion (53%) and gas permeability (500%) properties. Drug delivery and antibacterial properties of the nanocomposite hydrogel films studied using tetracycline (TC) as a broad spectrum antibiotic and showed a sustained TC release. This could efficiently decrease bandage exchange. Cytocompatibility of the nanocomposite hydrogel films has been analyzed in adipose tissue-derived stem cells (ADSCs) and results showed cytocompatibility of CMC/ZnO-MCM-41. Based on these results the prepared CMC nanocomposite hydrogel containing ZnO impregnated MCM-41, could serve as a kind of promising wound dressing with sustained drug delivery properties. - Highlights: • CMC nanocomposite hydrogel incorporated with TC loaded ZnO-MCM-41 nanoparticles have been prepared as active wound dressing. • Citric acid was used as cross linker to avoid conventional toxic crosslinkers. • CMC/ZnO-MCM-41

  18. Preparation of high water-swelling agricultural starch hydrogels by 60Co γ-radiation grafting

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Wang Qingjun; Quan Yiwu; Chen Qingmin

    2003-01-01

    The starch grafted acrylic acid was used to synthesize water-swelling hydrogels by 60 Co γ-radiation grafting technique. With radiation dose of about 7 kGy, the crosslinking reagent amount of 0.001%-0.1%, the pH value 5-8 and the starch amount of 10%-30%, we can produce 600 times water-swelling hydrogels which are of high performance, low cost and suitable for agriculture

  19. Tough and Conductive Hybrid Hydrogels Enabling Facile Patterning.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Fengbo; Lin, Ji; Wu, Zi Liang; Qu, Shaoxing; Yin, Jun; Qian, Jin; Zheng, Qiang

    2018-04-25

    Conductive polymer hydrogels (CPHs) that combine the unique properties of hydrogels and electronic properties of conductors have shown their great potentials in wearable/implantable electronic devices, where materials with remarkable mechanical properties, high conductivity, and easy processability are demanding. Here, we have developed a new type of polyion complex/polyaniline (PIC/PAni) hybrid hydrogels that are tough, conductive, and can be facilely patterned. The incorporation of conductive phase (PAni) into PIC matrix through phytic acid resulted in hybrid gels with ∼65 wt % water; high conductivity while maintaining the key viscoelasticity of the tough matrix. The gel prepared from 1 M aniline (Ani) exhibited the breaking strain, fracture stress, tensile modulus, and electrical conductivity of 395%, 1.15 MPa, 5.31 MPa, and 0.7 S/m, respectively, superior to the most existing CPHs. The mechanical and electrical performance of PIC/PAni hybrid hydrogels exhibited pronounced rate-dependent and self-recovery behaviors. The hybrid gels can effectively detect subtle human motions as strain sensors. Alternating conductive/nonconductive patterns can be readily achieved by selective Ani polymerization using stencil masks. This facile patterning method based on PIC/PAni gels can be readily scaled up for fast fabrication of wavy gel circuits and multichannel sensor arrays, enabling real-time monitoring of the large-extent and large-area deformations with various sensitivities.

  20. Hydrogel nanoparticles in drug delivery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hamidi, Mehrdad; Azadi, Amir; Rafiei, Pedram

    2008-12-14

    Hydrogel nanoparticles have gained considerable attention in recent years as one of the most promising nanoparticulate drug delivery systems owing to their unique potentials via combining the characteristics of a hydrogel system (e.g., hydrophilicity and extremely high water content) with a nanoparticle (e.g., very small size). Several polymeric hydrogel nanoparticulate systems have been prepared and characterized in recent years, based on both natural and synthetic polymers, each with its own advantages and drawbacks. Among the natural polymers, chitosan and alginate have been studied extensively for preparation of hydrogel nanoparticles and from synthetic group, hydrogel nanoparticles based on poly (vinyl alcohol), poly (ethylene oxide), poly (ethyleneimine), poly (vinyl pyrrolidone), and poly-N-isopropylacrylamide have been reported with different characteristics and features with respect to drug delivery. Regardless of the type of polymer used, the release mechanism of the loaded agent from hydrogel nanoparticles is complex, while resulting from three main vectors, i.e., drug diffusion, hydrogel matrix swelling, and chemical reactivity of the drug/matrix. Several crosslinking methods have been used in the way to form the hydrogel matix structures, which can be classified in two major groups of chemically- and physically-induced crosslinking.

  1. In Vitro Osteogenic and Odontogenic Differentiation of Human Dental Pulp Stem Cells Seeded on Carboxymethyl Cellulose-Hydroxyapatite Hybrid Hydrogel.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gabriella eTeti

    2015-10-01

    Full Text Available Stem cells from human dental pulp have been considered as an alternative source of adult stem cells in tissue engineering because of their potential to differentiate into multiple cell lineages.Recently, polysaccharide based hydrogels have become especially attractive as matrices for the repair and regeneration of a wide variety of tissues and organs. The incorporation of inorganic minerals as hydroxyapatite nanoparticles can modulate the performance of the scaffolds with potential applications in tissue engineering. The aim of this study was to verify the osteogenic and odontogenic differentiation of dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs cultured on a carboxymethyl cellulose—hydroxyapatite hybrid hydrogel. Human DPSCs were seeded on carboxymethyl cellulose—hydroxyapatite hybrid hydrogel and on carboxymethyl cellulose hydrogel for 1, 3, 5, 7, 14 and 21 days. Cell viability assay and ultramorphological analysis were carried out to evaluate biocompatibility and cell adhesion. Real Time PCR was carried out to demonstrate the expression of osteogenic and odontogenic markers. Results showed a good adhesion and viability in cells cultured on carboxymethyl cellulose—hydroxyapatite hybrid hydrogel, while a low adhesion and viability was observed in cells cultured on carboxymethyl cellulose hydrogel. Real Time PCR data demonstrated a temporal up-regulation of osteogenic and odontogenic markers in dental pulp stem cells cultured on carboxymethyl cellulose—hydroxyapatite hybrid hydrogel. In conclusion, our in vitro data confirms the ability of DPSCs to differentiate toward osteogenic and odontogenic lineages in presence of a carboxymethyl cellulose—hydroxyapatite hybrid hydrogel. Taken together, our results provide evidence that DPSCs and carboxymethyl cellulose—hydroxyapatite hybrid hydrogel could be considered promising candidates for dental pulp complex and periodontal tissue engineering.

  2. pH-responsive and enzymatically-responsive hydrogel microparticles for the oral delivery of therapeutic proteins: Effects of protein size, crosslinking density, and hydrogel degradation on protein delivery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Koetting, Michael Clinton; Guido, Joseph Frank; Gupta, Malvika; Zhang, Annie; Peppas, Nicholas A

    2016-01-10

    Two potential platform technologies for the oral delivery of protein therapeutics were synthesized and tested. pH-responsive poly(itaconic acid-co-N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone) (P(IA-co-NVP)) hydrogel microparticles were tested in vitro with model proteins salmon calcitonin, urokinase, and rituximab to determine the effects of particle size, protein size, and crosslinking density on oral delivery capability. Particle size showed no significant effect on overall delivery potential but did improve percent release of encapsulated protein over the micro-scale particle size range studied. Protein size was shown to have a significant impact on the delivery capability of the P(IA-co-NVP) hydrogel. We show that when using P(IA-co-NVP) hydrogel microparticles with 3 mol% tetra(ethylene glycol) dimethacrylate crosslinker, a small polypeptide (salmon calcitonin) loads and releases up to 45 μg/mg hydrogel while the mid-sized protein urokinase and large monoclonal antibody rituximab load and release only 19 and 24 μg/mg hydrogel, respectively. We further demonstrate that crosslinking density offers a simple method for tuning hydrogel properties to variously sized proteins. Using 5 mol% TEGDMA crosslinker offers optimal performance for the small peptide, salmon calcitonin, whereas lower crosslinking density of 1 mol% offers optimal performance for the much larger protein rituximab. Finally, an enzymatically-degradable hydrogels of P(MAA-co-NVP) crosslinked with the peptide sequence MMRRRKK were synthesized and tested in simulated gastric and intestinal conditions. These hydrogels offer ideal loading and release behavior, showing no degradative release of encapsulated salmon calcitonin in gastric conditions while yielding rapid and complete release of encapsulated protein within 1h in intestinal conditions. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  3. Adsorption Properties of PVA/PAA/clay Composite Hydrogel Synthesized by Gamma Radiation and its Application in Removal of Crystal Violet Dye from Its Aqueous Solution

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kamal, H.; El-Sayed, A. Hegazy; Mohamed, M.M.; Sabaa, M.W.; El-Dessouky, M.M.

    2014-01-01

    Copolymer hydrogels composed of Poly vinyl alcohol (PVA) and Poly acrylic acid (PAA) were prepared by γ-irradiation in the presence of N,N’ methylene bis acrylamide (MBAM) as crosslinking agent or bentonite clay. The copolymers were characterized by FTIR and SEM. The dye adsorption experiments for Crystal Violet dye (CV) were carried out by using bath procedure. UV-visible absorption spectroscopy was used to determine the adsorption behavior. The effect of different copolymer composition, clay concentration, ph, contact time, adsorbent dose, initial dye concentration, and adsorption temperature were investigated to obtain the best experimental conditions. The adsorption equilibrium was attained after about 24h. of contact time. It was found that the adsorption process was correlated with Freundlich isotherm equation. Kinetic and thermodynamic studies of CV dye onto the prepared hydrogels were also evaluated

  4. Intra-Articular Polyacrylamide Hydrogel Injections Are Not Innocent

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Murat Tonbul

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Osteoarthritis is a chronic disorder characterized by joint cartilage degeneration with concomitant changes in the synovium and subchondral bone metabolism. Many conservative treatment modalities, one of which is intra-articular injections, have been described for the treatment of this disorder. Traditionally, hyaluranic acid and corticosteroids are the agents that have been used for this purpose. Recently, polyacrylamide hydrogels are being used widely. Biocompatibility, nonbioabsorbability, and anti-infectious effect obtained by silver addition made polyacrylamide hydrogels more popular. In this paper, we present a case and the method of our management, in whom host tissue reaction (foreign body granuloma, edema, inflammation, and redness induration has been observed, as the first and unique adverse effect reported in the literature.

  5. Molecularly imprinted hydrogels as functional active packaging materials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Benito-Peña, Elena; González-Vallejo, Victoria; Rico-Yuste, Alberto; Barbosa-Pereira, Letricia; Cruz, José Manuel; Bilbao, Ainhoa; Alvarez-Lorenzo, Carmen; Moreno-Bondi, María Cruz

    2016-01-01

    This paper describes the synthesis of novel molecularly imprinted hydrogels (MIHs) for the natural antioxidant ferulic acid (FA), and their application as packaging materials to prevent lipid oxidation of butter. A library of MIHs was synthesized using a synthetic surrogate of FA, 3-(4-hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)propionic acid (HFA), as template molecule, ethyleneglycol dimethacrylate (EDMA) as cross-linker, and 1-allylpiperazine (1-ALPP) or 2-(dimethylamino)ethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA), in combination with 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA) as functional monomers, at different molar concentrations. The DMAEMA/HEMA-based MIHs showed the greatest FA loading capacity, while the 1-ALLP/HEMA-based polymers exhibited the highest imprinting effect. During cold storage, FA-loaded MIHs protected butter from oxidation and led to TBARs values that were approximately half those of butter stored without protection and 25% less than those recorded for butter covered with hydrogels without FA, potentially extending the shelf life of butter. Active packaging is a new field of application for MIHs with great potential in the food industry. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  6. Synthesis and Characterization of Chemically Cross-Linked Acrylic Acid/Gelatin Hydrogels: Effect of pH and Composition on Swelling and Drug Release

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Syed Majid Hanif Bukhari

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available This present work was aimed at synthesizing pH-sensitive cross-linked AA/Gelatin hydrogels by free radical polymerization. Ammonium persulfate and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA were used as initiator and as cross-linking agent, respectively. Different feed ratios of acrylic acid, gelatin, and EGDMA were used to investigate the effect of monomer, polymer, and degree of cross-linking on swelling and release pattern of the model drug. The swelling behavior of the hydrogel samples was studied in 0.05 M USP phosphate buffer solutions of various pH values pH 1.2, pH 5.5, pH 6.5, and pH 7.5. The prepared samples were evaluated for porosity and sol-gel fraction analysis. Pheniramine maleate used for allergy treatment was loaded as model drug in selected samples. The release study of the drug was investigated in 0.05 M USP phosphate buffer of varying pH values (1.2, 5.5, and 7.5 for 12 hrs. The release data was fitted to various kinetic models to study the release mechanism. Hydrogels were characterized by Fourier transformed infrared (FTIR spectroscopy which confirmed formation of structure. Surface morphology of unloaded and loaded samples was studied by surface electron microscopy (SEM, which confirmed the distribution of model drug in the gel network.

  7. Stress relaxing hyaluronic acid-collagen hydrogels promote cell spreading, fiber remodeling, and focal adhesion formation in 3D cell culture.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lou, Junzhe; Stowers, Ryan; Nam, Sungmin; Xia, Yan; Chaudhuri, Ovijit

    2018-02-01

    The physical and architectural cues of the extracellular matrix (ECM) play a critical role in regulating important cellular functions such as spreading, migration, proliferation, and differentiation. Natural ECM is a complex viscoelastic scaffold composed of various distinct components that are often organized into a fibrillar microstructure. Hydrogels are frequently used as synthetic ECMs for 3D cell culture, but are typically elastic, due to covalent crosslinking, and non-fibrillar. Recent work has revealed the importance of stress relaxation in viscoelastic hydrogels in regulating biological processes such as spreading and differentiation, but these studies all utilize synthetic ECM hydrogels that are non-fibrillar. Key mechanotransduction events, such as focal adhesion formation, have only been observed in fibrillar networks in 3D culture to date. Here we present an interpenetrating network (IPN) hydrogel system based on HA crosslinked with dynamic covalent bonds and collagen I that captures the viscoelasticity and fibrillarity of ECM in tissues. The IPN hydrogels exhibit two distinct processes in stress relaxation, one from collagen and the other from HA crosslinking dynamics. Stress relaxation in the IPN hydrogels can be tuned by modulating HA crosslinker affinity, molecular weight of the HA, or HA concentration. Faster relaxation in the IPN hydrogels promotes cell spreading, fiber remodeling, and focal adhesion (FA) formation - behaviors often inhibited in other hydrogel-based materials in 3D culture. This study presents a new, broadly adaptable materials platform for mimicking key ECM features of viscoelasticity and fibrillarity in hydrogels for 3D cell culture and sheds light on how these mechanical and structural cues regulate cell behavior. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  8. SYNTHESIS AND IN VITRO CHARACTERIZATION OF HYDROXYPROPYL METHYLCELLULOSE-GRAFT-POLY (ACRYLIC ACID/2-ACRYLAMIDO-2-METHYL-1-PROPANESULFONIC ACID) POLYMERIC NETWORK FOR CONTROLLED RELEASE OF CAPTOPRIL.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Furqan Muhammad, Iqbal; Mahmood, Ahmad; Aysha, Rashid

    2016-01-01

    A super-absorbent hydrogel was developed by crosslinking of 2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid (AMPS) and acrylic acid with hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) for controlled release drug delivery of captopril, a well known antihypertensive drug. Acrylic acid and AMPS were polymerized and crosslinked with HPMC by free radical polymerization, a widely used chemical crosslinking method. N,N'-methylenebisacrylamide (MBA) and potassium persulfate (KPS) were added as cross-linker and initiator, respectively. The hydrogel formulation was loaded with captopril (as model drug). The concentration of captopril was monitored at 205 nm using UV spectrophotometer. Equilibrium swelling ratio was determined at pH 2, 4.5 and 7.4 to evaluate the pH responsiveness of the formed hydrogel. The super-absorbent hydrogels were evaluated by FTIR, SEM, XRD, and thermal analysis (DSC and TGA). The formation of new copolymeric network was determined by FTIR, XRD, TGA and DSC analysis. The hydrogel formulations with acrylic acid and AMPS ratio of 4: 1 and lower amounts of crosslinker had shown maximum swelling. Moreover, higher release rate of captopril was observed at pH 7.4 than at pH 2, because of more swelling capacity of copolymer with increasing pH of the aqueous medium. The present research work confirms the development of a stable hydrogel comprising of HPMC with acrylic acid and AMPS. The prepared hydrogels exhibited pH sensitive behav-ior. This superabsorbent composite prepared could be a successful drug carrier for treating hypertension.

  9. Swelling of Superabsorbent Poly(Sodium-Acrylate Acrylamide) Hydrogels and Influence of Chemical Structure on Internally Cured Mortar

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krafcik, Matthew J.; Erk, Kendra A.

    Superabsorbent hydrogel particles show promise as internal curing agents for high performance concrete (HPC). These gels can absorb and release large volumes of water and offer a solution to the problem of self-dessication in HPC. However, the gels are sensitive to ions naturally present in concrete. This research connects swelling behavior with gel-ion interactions to optimize hydrogel performance for internal curing, reducing the chance of early-age cracking and increasing the durability of HPC. Four different hydrogels of poly(sodium-acrylate acrylamide) are synthesized and characterized with swelling tests in different salt solutions. Depending on solution pH, ionic character, and gel composition, diffrerent swelling behaviors are observed. As weight percent of acrylic acid increases, gels demonstrate higher swelling ratios in reverse osmosis water, but showed substantially decreased swelling when aqueous cations are present. Additionally, in multivalent cation solutions, overshoot peaks are present, whereby the gels have a peak swelling ratio but then deswell. Multivalent cations interact with deprotonated carboxylic acid groups, constricting the gel and expelling water. Mortar containing hydrogels showed reduced autogenous shrinkage and increased relative humidity.

  10. Type II collagen-hyaluronan hydrogel – a step towards a scaffold for intervertebral disc tissue engineering

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    L Calderon

    2010-09-01

    Full Text Available Intervertebral disc regeneration strategies based on stem cell differentiation in combination with the design of functional scaffolds is an attractive approach towards repairing/regenerating the nucleus pulposus. The specific aim of this study was to optimise a composite hydrogel composed of type II collagen and hyaluronic acid (HA as a carrier for mesenchymal stem cells. Hydrogel stabilisation was achieved by means of 1-ethyl-3(3-dimethyl aminopropyl carbodiimide (EDC and N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS cross-linking. Optimal hydrogel properties were determined by investigating different concentrations of EDC (8mM, 24mM and 48mM. Stable hydrogels were obtained independent of the concentration of carbodiimide used. The hydrogels cross-linked by the lowest concentration of EDC (8mM demonstrated high swelling properties. Additionally, improved proliferation of seeded rat mesenchymal stem cells (rMSCs and hydrogel stability levels in culture were observed with this 8mM cross-linked hydrogel. Results from this study indicate that EDC/NHS (8mM cross-linked type II collagen/HA hydrogel was capable of supporting viability of rMSCs, and furthermore their differentiation into a chondrogenic lineage. Further investigations should be conducted to determine its potential as scaffold for nucleus pulposus regeneration/repair.

  11. Dual Cross-Linked Biofunctional and Self-Healing Networks to Generate User-Defined Modular Gradient Hydrogel Constructs.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wei, Zhao; Lewis, Daniel M; Xu, Yu; Gerecht, Sharon

    2017-08-01

    Gradient hydrogels have been developed to mimic the spatiotemporal differences of multiple gradient cues in tissues. Current approaches used to generate such hydrogels are restricted to a single gradient shape and distribution. Here, a hydrogel is designed that includes two chemical cross-linking networks, biofunctional, and self-healing networks, enabling the customizable formation of modular gradient hydrogel construct with various gradient distributions and flexible shapes. The biofunctional networks are formed via Michael addition between the acrylates of oxidized acrylated hyaluronic acid (OAHA) and the dithiol of matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-sensitive cross-linker and RGD peptides. The self-healing networks are formed via dynamic Schiff base reaction between N-carboxyethyl chitosan (CEC) and OAHA, which drives the modular gradient units to self-heal into an integral modular gradient hydrogel. The CEC-OAHA-MMP hydrogel exhibits excellent flowability at 37 °C under shear stress, enabling its injection to generate gradient distributions and shapes. Furthermore, encapsulated sarcoma cells respond to the gradient cues of RGD peptides and MMP-sensitive cross-linkers in the hydrogel. With these superior properties, the dual cross-linked CEC-OAHA-MMP hydrogel holds significant potential for generating customizable gradient hydrogel constructs, to study and guide cellular responses to their microenvironment such as in tumor mimicking, tissue engineering, and stem cell differentiation and morphogenesis. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  12. A novel multi-responsive polyampholyte composite hydrogel with excellent mechanical strength and rapid shrinking rate.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Kun; Tan, Ying; Chen, Qiang; An, Huiyong; Li, Wenbo; Dong, Lisong; Wang, Pixin

    2010-05-15

    Series of hydrophilic core-shell microgels with cross-linked poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm) as core and poly(vinyl amine) (PVAm) as shell are synthesized via surfactant-free emulsion polymerization. Then, the microgels are treated with a small amount of potassium persulfate (KPS) to generate free radicals on the amine nitrogens of PVAm, which subsequently initiate the graft copolymerization of acrylic acid (AA), acryloyloxyethyl trimethyl ammonium chloride (DAC), and acrylamide (AAm) onto microgels to prepare multi-responsive composite hydrogels. The composite hydrogels consist of cross-linked ungrafted polyampholyte chains as the first network and microgels with grafted polyampholyte chains as graft point and second network and show surprising mechanical strength and rapid response rate. The investigation shows the compress strength of composite hydrogels is up to 17-30 MPa, which is 60-100 times higher than that of the hydrogel matrix. The composite hydrogel shows reversible switch of transmittance when traveling the lowest critical temperature (LCST) of microgels. When the composite hydrogel swollen in pH 2.86 solution at ambient condition is immersed into the pH 7.00 solution at 45 °C, a rapid dynamic shrinking can be observed. And the character time (τ) of shrinking dynamic of composite hydrogel is 251.9 min, which is less than that of hydrogel matrix (τ=2273.7 min). Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  13. Design of a Versatile pH-Responsive Hydrogel for Potential Oral Delivery of Gastric-Sensitive Bioactives

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Angus R. Hibbins

    2017-09-01

    Full Text Available A pH-responsive hydrogel system was prepared by free radical polymerization of acrylamide and methyl acrylic acid in the presence of N-N′-methylene bisacrylamide. Sodium bicarbonate was further applied as a blowing agent, which afforded a porous hydrogel structure. The hydrogel system achieved a constant super swelling rate within simulated intestinal buffer (~4%/min and remained relatively static within simulated gastric buffer (~0.8%/min. The hydrogel system was able to achieve matrix resilience greater than 30% under a relatively high strain of 40%. In addition, the hydrogel system demonstrated significant swelling properties in response to simulated intestinal environmental over 24 h, with contrasting characteristics in simulated gastric buffer. The hydrogel demonstrated type IV isotherm porosity characteristics, with remarkable MRI and SEM variations in gastric and intestinal simulated fluids. Drug loading was observed to be greater than 98% using theophylline as a prototype drug, evaluating its controlled release kinetics over 24 h. The hydrogel exhibited substantial pH-responsive activity, which could be used as a versatile platform for targeted release of gastric-sensitive therapeutics to the small intestine.

  14. The Formation Mechanism of Hydrogels.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lu, Liyan; Yuan, Shiliang; Wang, Jing; Shen, Yun; Deng, Shuwen; Xie, Luyang; Yang, Qixiang

    2017-06-12

    Hydrogels are degradable polymeric networks, in which cross-links play a vital role in structure formation and degradation. Cross-linking is a stabilization process in polymer chemistry that leads to the multi-dimensional extension of polymeric chains, resulting in network structures. By cross-linking, hydrogels are formed into stable structures that differ from their raw materials. Generally, hydrogels can be prepared from either synthetic or natural polymers. Based on the types of cross-link junctions, hydrogels can be categorized into two groups: the chemically cross-linked and the physically cross-linked. Chemically cross-linked gels have permanent junctions, in which covalent bonds are present between different polymer chains, thus leading to excellent mechanical strength. Although chemical cross-linking is a highly resourceful method for the formation of hydrogels, the cross-linkers used in hydrogel preparation should be extracted from the hydrogels before use, due to their reported toxicity, while, in physically cross-linked gels, dissolution is prevented by physical interactions, such as ionic interactions, hydrogen bonds or hydrophobic interactions. Physically cross-linked methods for the preparation of hydrogels are the alternate solution for cross-linker toxicity. Both methods will be discussed in this essay. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.

  15. Design of multimodal degradable hydrogels for controlled therapeutic delivery

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kharkar, Prathamesh Madhav

    thiol exchange reaction facilitated rapid and responsive protein release in the presence of GSH. A photolabile o-nitrobenzyl ether group (o-NB) was subsequently incorporated within the PEG-based, gel-forming monomers to demonstrate cargo release triggered by exogenous stimuli for patient-specific therapies. Upon the application of cytocompatible doses of light, the photolabile o-NB linkage underwent irreversible cleavage yielding ketone and carboxylic acid-based cleavage products. Hydrogel degradation kinetics was characterized in response to externally applied cytocompatible light or GSH in aqueous microenvironments. By incorporating a photodegradable o-nitrobenzyl ether group, a thiol-sensitive succinimide thioether linkage, and ester linkages within the hydrogels, we demonstrated unique control over degradation via surface erosion or bulk degradation mechanisms, respectively, with degradation rate constants ranging from 10-1 min-1 to 10-4 min-1. As a proof of concept, the controlled release of nanobeads from the hydrogel was demonstrated in a preprogrammed and stimuli-responsive fashion. The multimodal degradable hydrogels were then investigated for the local controlled release of small molecular weight proteins, which are of interest for regulating various cellular functions and fates in vivo. Low molecular weight heparin, a highly sulfated polysaccharide was incorporated within the hydrogel network by Michael-type reaction due to its affinity with biologics such as growth factors and immunomodulatory proteins. Incorporation of reduction-sensitive linkages resulted in 2.3 fold differences in the release profile of fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2) in the presence of GSH compared to non-reducing microenvironment. Bioactivity of released FGF-2 was comparable to pristine FGF-2, indicating the ability of the hydrogel to retain bioactivity of cargo molecules during encapsulation and release. Further, preliminary in vivo studies demonstrated control over hydrogel

  16. Alginate-Collagen Fibril Composite Hydrogel

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mahmoud Baniasadi

    2015-02-01

    Full Text Available We report on the synthesis and the mechanical characterization of an alginate-collagen fibril composite hydrogel. Native type I collagen fibrils were used to synthesize the fibrous composite hydrogel. We characterized the mechanical properties of the fabricated fibrous hydrogel using tensile testing; rheometry and atomic force microscope (AFM-based nanoindentation experiments. The results show that addition of type I collagen fibrils improves the rheological and indentation properties of the hydrogel.

  17. A pH-Sensitive Injectable Nanoparticle Composite Hydrogel for Anticancer Drug Delivery

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yuanfeng Ye

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available According to previous reports, low pH-triggered nanoparticles were considered to be excellent carriers for anticancer drug delivery, for the reason that they could trigger encapsulated drug release at mild acid environment of tumor. Herein, an acid-sensitive β-cyclodextrin derivative, namely, acetalated-β-cyclodextrin (Ac-β-CD, was synthesized by acetonation and fabricated to nanoparticles through single oil-in-water (o/w emulsion technique. At the same time, camptothecin (CPT, a hydrophobic anticancer drug, was encapsulated into Ac-β-CD nanoparticles in the process of nanoparticle fabrication. Formed nanoparticles exhibited nearly spherical structure with diameter of 209±40 nm. The drug release behavior of nanoparticles displayed pH dependent changes due to hydrolysis of Ac-β-CD. In order to overcome the disadvantages of nanoparticle and broaden its application, injectable hydrogels with Ac-β-CD nanoparticles were designed and prepared by simple mixture of nanoparticles solution and graphene oxide (GO solution in this work. The injectable property was confirmed by short gelation time and good mobility of two precursors. Hydrogels were characterized by dynamic mechanical test and SEM, which also reflected some structural features. Moreover, all hydrogels underwent a reversible sol-gel transition in alkaline environment. Finally, the results of in vitro drug release profile indicated that hydrogel could control drug release or bind drug inside depending on the pH value of released medium.

  18. Fabrication and evaluation of thermosensitive chitosan/collagen/α, β-glycerophosphate hydrogels for tissue regeneration.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dang, Qifeng; Liu, Kai; Zhang, Zhenzhen; Liu, Chengsheng; Liu, Xi; Xin, Ying; Cheng, Xiaoyu; Xu, Tao; Cha, Dongsu; Fan, Bing

    2017-07-01

    Thermosensitive hydrogels whose physiological properties are similar to extracellular matrix have been extensively used for tissue regeneration. Polysaccharides and proteins, as biocompatible substrates similar to bio-macromolecules that could be recognized by human body, are two preferred polymers for fabrication of such hydrogels. A series of novel thermosensitive hydrogels (CS-ASC-HGs) containing chitosan (CS) and acid-soluble collagen (ASC) were thus prepared, in the presence of α, β-glycerophosphate, to mimic extracellular microenvironment for tissue regeneration. Rheological measurements demonstrated excellent thermosensitivity. FT-IR and SEM indicated CS-ASC-HGs possessed 3D porous architectures with fibrous ASC, and the molecular structure of ASC was well-maintained in hydrogels. Hemolysis, acute toxicity, and cytotoxicity tests suggested CS-ASC-HGs were of good biocompatibility. CS-ASC-HGs were able to support the survival and proliferation of L929 cells encapsulated in them. Moreover, CS-ASC-HGs had better pH stability and biocompatibility than pure CS hydrogel. These results suggested that CS-ASC-HGs could serve as promising scaffolds for tissue regeneration. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. Amphotericin B-conjugated polypeptide hydrogels as a novel innovative strategy for fungal infections

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shu, Chang; Li, Tengfei; Yang, Wen; Li, Duo; Ji, Shunli; Ding, Li

    2018-03-01

    The present work is focused on the design and development of novel amphotericin B (AmB)-conjugated biocompatible and biodegradable polypeptide hydrogels to improve the antifungal activity. Using three kinds of promoting self-assembly groups (2-naphthalene acetic acid (Nap), naproxen (Npx) and dexamethasone (Dex)) and polypeptide sequence (Phe-Phe-Asp-Lys-Tyr, FFDKY), we successfully synthesized the Nap-FFDK(AmB)Y gels, Npx-FFDK(AmB)Y gels and Dex-FFDK(AmB)Y gels. The AmB-conjugated hydrogelators are highly soluble in different aqueous solutions. The cryo-transmission electron microscopy and scanning electron microscopy micrographs of hydrogels afford nanofibres with a width of 20-50 nm. Powder X-ray diffraction analyses demonstrate that the crystalline structures of the AmB and Dex are changed into amorphous structures after the formation of hydrogels. Circular dichroism spectra of the solution of blank carriers and the corresponding drug deliveries further help elucidate the molecular arrangement in gel phase, indicating the existence of turn features. The in vitro drug releases suggest that the AmB-conjugated hydrogels are suitable as drug-controlled release vehicles for hydrophobic drugs. The antifungal effect of AmB-conjugated hydrogels significantly exhibits the antifungal activity against Candida albicans. The results of the present study indicated that the AmB-conjugated hydrogels are suitable carriers for poorly water soluble drugs and for enhancement of therapeutic efficacy of antifungal drugs.

  20. Band gap control using electric field of photonic gel cells fabricated with block copolymer and hydrogel.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Sung Nam; Baek, Young Bin; Shin, Dong Myung

    2014-08-01

    Optical and electrical characteristics of the devices using photonic gel film and hydrogel electrolyte were studied. Poly(styrene-b-2-vinylpyridine) (PS-b-P2VP) lamellar film with alternating hydrophobic block and hydrophilic polyelectrolyte block polymers (52 kg/mol-b-57 kg/mol) were prepared for the photonic gel. Poly(isobutylene-co-maleic acid) sodium salts were prepared for the hydrogel. This hydrogel fiber is common water swelling material and it owned ions for a device has conductivity. Photonic gel and hydrogel was spin coating onto Indium-tin-oxide (ITO) glass for make electric fields. The reflectance maximum wavelength of photonic crystal device shifted from 538 nm and reached to 557 nm, 585 nm and 604 nm during 30 min voltage applying time. The bandwidth variation was very limited. Loss of electrolyte was much less with hydrogel compared to the pure water. We can control color of hydrogel used photonic device by electric field with reasonable time range under moderate electric field by applying 2 V between two facing electrodes.

  1. Modified gum Arabic hydrogels as matrices for controlled release of curcumin supramolecular complexes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Gerola, Adriana P.; Silva, Danielle C.; Rubira, Adley F.; Muniz, Edvani C.

    2015-01-01

    Modified gum Arabic (GA) hydrogels show a pH-responsive behavior making them excellent matrices to be used for oral administration of drugs. Our goal is to study the behavior of those matrices in simulated gastric and intestinal fluids. In this work we will present how the methacrylation degree of GA, by using glycidyl methacrylate, can affect the properties of these hydrogels for controlled release. The drug used in this work is the curcumin (Cur). Cur is associated with numerous pharmacological activities, but their application is limited by the low water solubility. We will present some studies involving the formation of host-guest complexes between Cur and natural cyclodextrins. Both modified GA and hydrogels were characterized by different techniques. The kinetics release of Cur complex-containing modified GA hydrogels was studied to have an insight on the release mechanism and rate constants. Toxicity studies on undifferentiated and differentiated Caco-2 were also carried out. (author)

  2. Adsorption of crude oil from aqueous solution by hydrogel of chitosan based polyacrylamide prepared by radiation induced graft polymerization

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Sokker, H.H., E-mail: hesham_sokkre@yahoo.com [Jazan University, Faculty of Science (Saudi Arabia); National Center for Radiation Research and Technology, Polymer Chemistry Department, P.O. Box 29, Cairo (Egypt); El-Sawy, Naeem M. [National Center for Radiation Research and Technology, Polymer Chemistry Department, P.O. Box 29, Cairo (Egypt); Hassan, M.A. [Scib Company of Paints, Cairo (Egypt); El-Anadouli, Bahgat E. [Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science, Cairo University, Giza 12613 (Egypt)

    2011-06-15

    The adsorption of crude oil (initial concentration 0.5-30 g/L) from aqueous solution using hydrogel of chitosan based polyacrylamide (PAM) prepared by radiation induced graft polymerization has been investigated. The prepared hydrogel was characterized by FTIR and SEM micrographs. The experiments were carried out as a function of different initial concentrations of oil residue, acrylamide concentration, contact time and pH to determine the optimum condition for the adsorption of residue oil from aqueous solution and sea water. The results obtained showed that the hydrogel prepared at concentration of 40% acrylamide (AAm) and at a radiation dose of 5 kGy has high removal efficiency of crude oil 2.3 g/g at pH 3. Equilibrium studies have been carried out to determine the capacity of the hydrogel for adsorption of crude oil, Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption models were applied to describe the experimental isotherms and isotherms constants. Equilibrium data were found to fit very well with both Freundlich and Langmuir models. Also the adsorption of oil onto the hydrogel behaves as a pseudo-second-order kinetic models rather than the pseudo-first-order kinetic model.

  3. Changes in myopia with low-Dk hydrogel and high-Dk silicone hydrogel extended wear.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jalbert, Isabelle; Stretton, Serina; Naduvilath, Thomas; Holden, Brien; Keay, Lisa; Sweeney, Deborah

    2004-08-01

    This study compared changes in myopia between wearers of high-oxygen permeability (Dk) silicone hydrogel lenses and low-Dk hydrogel lenses after 1 year of extended wear (EW). Ninety-two adult subjects were randomly assigned to a lens type. Subjective refraction and autokeratometry were performed at baseline and at 6 and 12 months. After 6 months of EW, myopia (spherical equivalent) regressed by 0.18 +/- 0.33 D (p Dk silicone hydrogel group and progressed by -0.23 +/- 0.36 D (p Dk hydrogel group. There were no further changes after 12 months. Previous lens wear history, baseline refractive error, and age and gender did not have an impact on the change in myopia, and only 35% of the variation could be accounted for by changes in corneal curvature and lens type. Soft contact lens type significantly affects the direction of change in myopia during EW. We hypothesize that these changes are driven by pressure-related redistribution of corneal tissue in high-Dk silicone hydrogel lens wearers and by hypoxia-associated corneal thinning in low-Dk hydrogel wearers. More long-term studies are required to confirm whether the effects of high-Dk silicone hydrogel lens wear on myopia are permanent.

  4. Phospholipid Fatty Acids as Physiological Indicators of Paracoccus denitrificans Encapsulated in Silica Sol-Gel Hydrogels

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Josef Trögl

    2015-02-01

    Full Text Available The phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA content was determined in samples of Paracoccus denitrificans encapsulated in silica hydrogel films prepared from prepolymerized tetramethoxysilane (TMOS. Immediately after encapsulation the total PLFA concentration was linearly proportional to the optical density (600 nm of the input microbial suspension (R2 = 0.99. After 7 days this relationship remained linear, but with significantly decreased slope, indicating a higher extinction of bacteria in suspensions of input concentration 108 cells/mL and higher. trans-Fatty acids, indicators of cytoplasmatic membrane disturbances, were below the detection limit. The cy/pre ratio (i.e., ratio of cyclopropylated fatty acids (cy17:0 + cy19:0 to their metabolic precursors (16:1ω7 + 18:1ω7, an indicator of the transition of the culture to a stationary growth-phase, decreased depending on co-immobilization of nutrients in the order phosphate buffer > mineral medium > Luria Broth rich medium. The ratio, too, was logarithmically proportional to cell concentration. These results confirm the applicability of total PLFA as an indicator for the determination of living biomass and cy/pre ratio for determination of nutrient limitation of microorganisms encapsulated in sol-gel matrices. This may be of interest for monitoring of sol-gel encapsulated bacteria proposed as optical recognition elements in biosensor construction, as well as other biotechnological applications.

  5. Hydrogel/bioactive glass composites for bone regeneration applications: Synthesis and characterisation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Killion, John A.; Kehoe, Sharon; Geever, Luke M.; Devine, Declan M.; Sheehan, Eoin; Boyd, Daniel; Higginbotham, Clement L.

    2013-01-01

    Due to the deficiencies of current commercially available biological bone grafts, alternative bone graft substitutes have come to the forefront of tissue engineering in recent times. The main challenge for scientists in manufacturing bone graft substitutes is to obtain a scaffold that has sufficient mechanical strength and bioactive properties to promote formation of new tissue. The ability to synthesise hydrogel based composite scaffolds using photopolymerisation has been demonstrated in this study. The prepared hydrogel based composites were characterised using techniques including Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDX), rheological studies and compression testing. In addition, gel fraction, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), porosity and swelling studies of the composites were carried out. It was found that these novel hydrogel bioglass composite formulations did not display the inherent brittleness that is typically associated with bioactive glass based bone graft materials and exhibited enhanced biomechanical properties compared to the polyethylene glycol hydrogel scaffolds along. Together, the combination of enhanced mechanical properties and the deposition of apatite on the surface of these hydrogel based composites make them an ideal candidate as bone graft substitutes in cancellous bone defects or low load bearing applications. Highlights: • Young's modulus increases with the addition of bioactive glasses. • Hydrogel based composites formed an apatite layer in simulated body fluid. • Storage modulus increases with addition of bioactive glasses. • Compressive strength is dependent on molecular weight and bioactive glass loading

  6. Bacterial adhesion to conventional hydrogel and new silicone-hydrogel contact lens materials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kodjikian, Laurent; Casoli-Bergeron, Emmanuelle; Malet, Florence; Janin-Manificat, Hélène; Freney, Jean; Burillon, Carole; Colin, Joseph; Steghens, Jean-Paul

    2008-02-01

    As bacterial adhesion to contact lenses may contribute to the pathogenesis of keratitis, the aim of our study was to investigate in vitro adhesion of clinically relevant bacteria to conventional hydrogel (standard HEMA) and silicone-hydrogel contact lenses using a bioluminescent ATP assay. Four types of unworn contact lenses (Etafilcon A, Galyfilcon A, Balafilcon A, Lotrafilcon B) were incubated with Staphylococcus epidermidis (two different strains) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa suspended in phosphate buffered saline (PBS). Lenses were placed with the posterior surface facing up and were incubated in the bacterial suspension for 4 hours at 37 degrees C. Bacterial binding was then measured and studied by bioluminescent ATP assay. Six replicate experiments were performed for each lens and strain. Adhesion of all species of bacteria to standard HEMA contact lenses (Etafilcon A) was found to be significantly lower than that of three types of silicone-hydrogel contact lenses, whereas Lotrafilcon B material showed the highest level of bacterial binding. Differences between species in the overall level of adhesion to the different types of contact lenses were observed. Adhesion of P. aeruginosa was typically at least 20 times greater than that observed with both S. epidermidis strains. Conventional hydrogel contact lenses exhibit significantly lower bacterial adhesion in vitro than silicone-hydrogel ones. This could be due to the greater hydrophobicity but also to the higher oxygen transmissibility of silicone-hydrogel lenses.

  7. Kinetic Degradation and Controlled Drug Delivery System Studies for Sensitive Hydrogels Prepared by Gamma Irradiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Eid, M.; El-Arnaouty, M.B.

    2008-01-01

    Ternary mixtures of N-vinyle-2-pyrrolidone(NVP ), itaconic acid (IA) and gelatin (G) were gamma irradiated to prepared poly(NVP/IA/G) hydrogels. The equilibrium kinetic swelling, drug release behavior, Scan Electron Microscope (SEM) and the swelling-degradation kinetics were studied. Both the diffusion exponent and the diffusion coefficient increase with increasing content of (IA). Also, the swelling behavior of copolymer hydrogels in response to ph value of the external media was studied, it is noted that the highest swelling values at ph 4. The in vitro drug release behavior of these hydrogels was examined by quantification analysis with a UV/VIS spectrophotometers. Chlorpromazine hydrochloride was loaded into dried hydrogels to investigate the stimuli-sensitive property at the specific ph. The release studies show that the highest value of release was at ph 4 which can be used for drug delivery system

  8. In vitro and in vivo evaluation of microporous chitosan hydrogel/nanofibrin composite bandage for skin tissue regeneration.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sudheesh Kumar, P T; Raj, N Mincy; Praveen, G; Chennazhi, Krishna Prasad; Nair, Shantikumar V; Jayakumar, R

    2013-02-01

    In this work, we have developed chitosan hydrogel/nanofibrin composite bandages (CFBs) and characterized using Fourier transform-infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The homogeneous distribution of nanofibrin in the prepared chitosan hydrogel matrix was confirmed by phosphotungstic acid-hematoxylin staining. The mechanical strength, swelling, biodegradation, porosity, whole-blood clotting, and platelet activation studies were carried out. In addition, the cell viability, cell attachment, and infiltration of the prepared CFBs were evaluated using human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and human dermal fibroblast (HDF) cells. It was found that the CFBs were microporous, flexible, biodegradable, and showed enhanced blood clotting and platelet activity compared to the one without nanofibrin. The prepared CFBs were capable of absorbing fluid and this was confirmed when immersed in phosphate buffered saline. Cell viability studies on HUVECs and HDF cells proved the nontoxic nature of the CFBs. Cell attachment and infiltration studies showed that the cells were found attached and proliferated on the CFBs. In vivo experiments were carried out in Sprague-Dawley rats and found that the wound healing occurred within 2 weeks when treated with CFBs than compared to the bare wound and wound treated with Kaltostat. The deposition of collagen was found to be more on CFB-treated wounds compared to the control. The above results proved the use of these CFBs as an ideal candidate for skin tissue regeneration and wound healing.

  9. Fabrication of keratin-silica hydrogel for biomedical applications

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kakkar, Prachi; Madhan, Balaraman, E-mail: bmadhan76@yahoo.co.in

    2016-09-01

    In the recent past, keratin has been fabricated into different forms of biomaterials like scaffold, gel, sponge, film etc. In lieu of the myriad advantages of the hydrogels for biomedical applications, a keratin-silica hydrogel was fabricated using tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS). Textural analysis shed light on the physical properties of the fabricated hydrogel, inturn enabling the optimization of the hydrogel. The optimized keratin-silica hydrogel was found to exhibit instant springiness, optimum hardness, with ease of spreadability. Moreover, the hydrogel showed excellent swelling with highly porous microarchitecture. MTT assay and DAPI staining revealed that keratin-silica hydrogel was biocompatible with fibroblast cells. Collectively, these properties make the fabricated keratin-silica hydrogel, a suitable dressing material for biomedical applications. - Highlights: • Keratin-silica hydrogel has been fabricated using sol–gel technique. • The hydrogel shows appropriate textural properties. • The hydrogel promotes fibroblast cells proliferation. • The hydrogel has potential soft tissue engineering applications like wound healing.

  10. Design and synthesis of an amphiphilic graft hydrogel having a hydrophobic domain formed by multiple interactions

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nitta, Kyohei [Department of Life and Functional Material Science, Graduate School of Natural Science, Konan University, 8-9-1 Okamoto, Higashinada, Kobe 658-8501 (Japan); Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (DC1), Ichibancho, Chiyoda, Tokyo 102-8471 (Japan); Kimoto, Atsushi [Department of Chemistry of Functional Molecules, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Konan University, 8-9-1 Okamoto, Higashinada, Kobe 658-8501 (Japan); Watanabe, Junji, E-mail: junjiknd@konan-u.ac.jp [Department of Chemistry of Functional Molecules, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Konan University, 8-9-1 Okamoto, Higashinada, Kobe 658-8501 (Japan)

    2016-11-01

    A novel hydrogel having hydrophobic oligo segments and hydrophilic poly(acrylamidoglycolic acid) (PAGA) as pH responsive polymer segments was designed and synthesized to be used as a soft biomaterial. Poly(trimethylene carbonate) (PTMC) as the side chain, for which the degrees of polymerization were 9, 19, and 49, and the composition ratios were 1, 5, and 10 mol%, was used as the oligo segment in the hydrogel. The swelling ratio of the hydrogel was investigated under various changes in conditions such as pH, temperature, and hydrogen bonding upon urea addition. Under pH 2–11 conditions, the graft gel reversibly swelled and shrank due to the effect of PAGA main chain. The interior morphology and skin layer of the hydrogel was observed by a scanning electron microscope. The hydrogel composed of PAGA as the hydrophilic polymer backbone had a sponge-like structure, with a pore size of approximately 100 μm. On the other hand, upon increasing the ratio of trimethylene carbonate (TMC) units in the hydrogel, the pores became smaller or disappeared. Moreover, thickness of the skin layer significantly increased with the swelling ratio depended on the incorporation ratios of the PTMC macromonomer. Molecular incorporation in the hydrogel was evaluated using a dye as a model drug molecule. These features would play an important role in drug loading. Increasing the ratio of TMC units favored the adsorption of the dye and activation of the incorporation behavior. - Highlights: • Hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interaction are dominant factor for forming hydrogels. • Hydrogel properties were tuned by changing in graft length and macromonomer content in feed. • The resulting graft gel could encapsulate and retain organic dye in the hydrogel. • Poly(trimethylene carbonate) segment in the hydrogel was dominant unit for hydrogel.

  11. Design and synthesis of an amphiphilic graft hydrogel having a hydrophobic domain formed by multiple interactions

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Nitta, Kyohei; Kimoto, Atsushi; Watanabe, Junji

    2016-01-01

    A novel hydrogel having hydrophobic oligo segments and hydrophilic poly(acrylamidoglycolic acid) (PAGA) as pH responsive polymer segments was designed and synthesized to be used as a soft biomaterial. Poly(trimethylene carbonate) (PTMC) as the side chain, for which the degrees of polymerization were 9, 19, and 49, and the composition ratios were 1, 5, and 10 mol%, was used as the oligo segment in the hydrogel. The swelling ratio of the hydrogel was investigated under various changes in conditions such as pH, temperature, and hydrogen bonding upon urea addition. Under pH 2–11 conditions, the graft gel reversibly swelled and shrank due to the effect of PAGA main chain. The interior morphology and skin layer of the hydrogel was observed by a scanning electron microscope. The hydrogel composed of PAGA as the hydrophilic polymer backbone had a sponge-like structure, with a pore size of approximately 100 μm. On the other hand, upon increasing the ratio of trimethylene carbonate (TMC) units in the hydrogel, the pores became smaller or disappeared. Moreover, thickness of the skin layer significantly increased with the swelling ratio depended on the incorporation ratios of the PTMC macromonomer. Molecular incorporation in the hydrogel was evaluated using a dye as a model drug molecule. These features would play an important role in drug loading. Increasing the ratio of TMC units favored the adsorption of the dye and activation of the incorporation behavior. - Highlights: • Hydrogen bonding and hydrophobic interaction are dominant factor for forming hydrogels. • Hydrogel properties were tuned by changing in graft length and macromonomer content in feed. • The resulting graft gel could encapsulate and retain organic dye in the hydrogel. • Poly(trimethylene carbonate) segment in the hydrogel was dominant unit for hydrogel.

  12. Immobilization and release study of a red alga extract in hydrogel membranes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Amaral, Renata Hage

    2009-01-01

    In pharmaceutical technology hydrogel is the most used among the polymeric matrices due to its wide application and functionality, primarily in drug delivery system. In view of the large advance innovations in cosmetic products, both through the introduction of new active agents as the matrices used for its controlled release, the objective of this study was to evaluate the release and immobilization of a natural active agent, the Arct'Alg in hydrogel membranes to obtain a release device for cosmetics. Arct'Alg is an aqueous extract which has excellent anti-oxidant, lipolytic, anti-inflammatory and cytostimulant action. Study on mechanical and physical-chemical properties and biocompatibility in vitro of hydrogel membranes of poly(vinyl-2- pyrrolidone) (PVP) and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) obtained by ionizing radiation crosslinking have been performed. The physical-chemical characterization of polymeric matrices was carried out by gel fraction and swelling tests and biocompatibility by in vitro test of cytotoxicity by using the technique of neutral red incorporation. In the gel fraction test, both the PVP and PVA hydrogel showed a high crosslinking degree. The PVP hydrogel showed a greater percentage of swelling in relation to PVA and the cytotoxicity test of the hydrogels showed non-toxicity effect. The cytostimulation property of Arct'Alg was verified by the cytostimulation test with rabbit skin cells, it was showed an increase at about 50% of the cells when in contact with 0,5% of active agent. The hydrogel membranes prepared with 3% of Arct'Alg were subjected to the release test in an incubator at 37 degree C and aliquots collected during the test were quantified by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The results obtained in the kinetics of release showed that the PVP hydrogel membranes released about 50% of Arct'Alg incorporated and the PVA hydrogel membranes at about 30%. In the cytostimulation test of released Arct'Alg, the PVP device showed an

  13. Macroporous modified poly (vinyl alcohol) hydrogels with charged groups for tissue engineering: Preparation and in vitro evaluation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Drozdova, Maria G., E-mail: drozdovamg@gmail.com [Polymers for Biology Laboratory, Shemyakin & Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of Russian Academy of Sciences, Miklukho-Maklaya str., 16/10, Moscow 117997 (Russian Federation); Zaytseva-Zotova, Daria S. [Polymers for Biology Laboratory, Shemyakin & Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of Russian Academy of Sciences, Miklukho-Maklaya str., 16/10, Moscow 117997 (Russian Federation); Akasov, Roman A. [Polymers for Biology Laboratory, Shemyakin & Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of Russian Academy of Sciences, Miklukho-Maklaya str., 16/10, Moscow 117997 (Russian Federation); Sechenov First Moscow State Medical University, Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Trubetskaya str., 8/2, Moscow 119048 (Russian Federation); Golunova, Anna S.; Artyukhov, Alexander A. [D. Mendeleyev University of Chemical Technology of Russia, Miusskaya Square 9, Moscow 125047 (Russian Federation); Udartseva, Olga O.; Andreeva, Elena R. [Institute of Biomedical Problems of Russian Academy of Sciences, Khoroshevskoe Shosse 76a, Moscow 123007 (Russian Federation); Lisovyy, Denis E.; Shtilman, Michael I. [D. Mendeleyev University of Chemical Technology of Russia, Miusskaya Square 9, Moscow 125047 (Russian Federation); Markvicheva, Elena A. [Polymers for Biology Laboratory, Shemyakin & Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of Russian Academy of Sciences, Miklukho-Maklaya str., 16/10, Moscow 117997 (Russian Federation)

    2017-06-01

    Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) hydrogels are widely employed for various biomedical applications, including tissue engineering, due to their biocompatibility, high water solubility, low protein adsorption, and chemical stability. However, non-charged surface of PVA-based hydrogels is not optimal for cell adhesion and spreading. Here, cross-linked macroporous hydrogels based on low molecular weight acrylated PVA (Acr-PVA) was synthesized by modification of the pendant alcohol groups on the PVA with glycidyl methacrylate (GMA). To enhance cell affinity, charged groups were introduced to the hydrogel composition. For this purpose, Acr-PVA was copolymerized with either negatively charged acrylic acid (AA) or positively charged 2-(diethylamino) ethyl methacrylate (DEAEMA) monomers. A surface charge of the obtained hydrogels was found to be in function of the co-monomer type and content. Confocal microscopy observations confirmed that adhesion and spreading of both mouse fibroblasts (L929) and human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSC) on the modified Acr-PVA-AA and Acr-PVA-DEAEMA hydrogels were better than those on the non-modified Acr-PVA hydrogel. The increase of DEAEMA monomer content from 5 to 15 mol% resulted in the enhancement of cell viability which was 1.5-fold higher for Acr-PVA-DEAEMA-15 hydrogel than that of the non-modified Acr-PVA hydrogel sample. - Highlights: • To enhance cell affinity, acrylated PVA hydrogel was modified with AA or DEAEMA monomers. • Cell adhesion and spreading were found to depend on the co-monomer type and content. • Proliferation of L929 fibroblasts and stem cells increased on the modified hydrogels.

  14. Macroporous modified poly (vinyl alcohol) hydrogels with charged groups for tissue engineering: Preparation and in vitro evaluation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Drozdova, Maria G.; Zaytseva-Zotova, Daria S.; Akasov, Roman A.; Golunova, Anna S.; Artyukhov, Alexander A.; Udartseva, Olga O.; Andreeva, Elena R.; Lisovyy, Denis E.; Shtilman, Michael I.; Markvicheva, Elena A.

    2017-01-01

    Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) hydrogels are widely employed for various biomedical applications, including tissue engineering, due to their biocompatibility, high water solubility, low protein adsorption, and chemical stability. However, non-charged surface of PVA-based hydrogels is not optimal for cell adhesion and spreading. Here, cross-linked macroporous hydrogels based on low molecular weight acrylated PVA (Acr-PVA) was synthesized by modification of the pendant alcohol groups on the PVA with glycidyl methacrylate (GMA). To enhance cell affinity, charged groups were introduced to the hydrogel composition. For this purpose, Acr-PVA was copolymerized with either negatively charged acrylic acid (AA) or positively charged 2-(diethylamino) ethyl methacrylate (DEAEMA) monomers. A surface charge of the obtained hydrogels was found to be in function of the co-monomer type and content. Confocal microscopy observations confirmed that adhesion and spreading of both mouse fibroblasts (L929) and human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSC) on the modified Acr-PVA-AA and Acr-PVA-DEAEMA hydrogels were better than those on the non-modified Acr-PVA hydrogel. The increase of DEAEMA monomer content from 5 to 15 mol% resulted in the enhancement of cell viability which was 1.5-fold higher for Acr-PVA-DEAEMA-15 hydrogel than that of the non-modified Acr-PVA hydrogel sample. - Highlights: • To enhance cell affinity, acrylated PVA hydrogel was modified with AA or DEAEMA monomers. • Cell adhesion and spreading were found to depend on the co-monomer type and content. • Proliferation of L929 fibroblasts and stem cells increased on the modified hydrogels.

  15. Synthesis of porous poly(acrylamide hydrogels using calcium carbonate and its application for slow release of potassium nitrate

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    2009-05-01

    Full Text Available Porous poly(acrylamide was synthesized using calcium carbonate microparticles and subsequent acid treatment to remove the calcium carbonate. Methylenebisacrylamide and ammonium persulfate/sodium metabisulfite were used as crosslinking agent and redox initiator, respectively. The porous structure of resulted hydrogels was confirmed using SEM micrographs. The effect of methylenebisacrylamide concentration and calcium carbonate amount on the swelling of the hydrogels was investigated. The results showed that the effect of methylenebisacrylamide and calcium carbonate variables on the swelling is reverse. The hydrogels were subsequently utilized for the loading of potassium nitrate. Potassium nitrate as active agent was loaded into hydrogels and subsequently the release of this active agent was investigated. In these series of investigation, the effect of content of loading, methylenebisacrylamide and calcium carbonate amount on the release of potassium nitrate from hydrogels was investigated.

  16. Skin-Inspired Multifunctional Autonomic-Intrinsic Conductive Self-Healing Hydrogels with Pressure Sensitivity, Stretchability, and 3D Printability.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Darabi, Mohammad Ali; Khosrozadeh, Ali; Mbeleck, Rene; Liu, Yuqing; Chang, Qiang; Jiang, Junzi; Cai, Jun; Wang, Quan; Luo, Gaoxing; Xing, Malcolm

    2017-08-01

    The advent of conductive self-healing (CSH) hydrogels, a class of novel materials mimicking human skin, may change the trajectory of the industrial process because of their potential applications in soft robots, biomimetic prostheses, and health-monitoring systems. Here, the development of a mechanically and electrically self-healing hydrogel based on physically and chemically cross-linked networks is reported. The autonomous intrinsic self-healing of the hydrogel is attained through dynamic ionic interactions between carboxylic groups of poly(acrylic acid) and ferric ions. A covalent cross-linking is used to support the mechanical structure of the hydrogel. Establishing a fair balance between the chemical and physical cross-linking networks together with the conductive nanostructure of polypyrrole networks leads to a double network hydrogel with bulk conductivity, mechanical and electrical self-healing properties (100% mechanical recovery in 2 min), ultrastretchability (1500%), and pressure sensitivity. The practical potential of CSH hydrogels is further revealed by their application in human motion detection and their 3D-printing performance. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  17. HYDROGELS AND THEIR APLICATION AREAS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    AÇIKEL Safiye Meriç

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available Hydrogels, being polymeric material,are named “Hydrophilic Polymer” because of their capable of holding large amounts of water in their three-dimensional networks. Hydrogels is not solved in water; however they have been swollen to their balace volume. Because of this swell behavior, they can adsorb big quantity of water in this structure. So they can term of “three sized polymers” due to protect their existing shape. Their cross linked bound structures are able to covalent or ionic and also one polymer which can for use of hydrogel polymer, must have hydrophilic groups such as carboxyl, carbonyl, amine and amide in main chains or side chains, and because of these groups water bound the polymer and polymer start to swell with rising volume and mass. Swell behavior of hydrogel is interested in quantity of hydrophilic groups. Hydrogels can use in different industrial and environmental areas with this high amount water holding capacity. They are used in food industry, biomedical, bioengineering, biotechnology, veterinary, pharmacist, agriculture, telecommunication, etc. Especially in current life, baby nappy has been including inside hydrogel beads. Also they used in contact lens, artificial cornea, synthetic cartilage and gullet, controlled medicine release, surgery yarns. This article general inform about usage area of hydrogels.

  18. Programmable release of multiple protein drugs from aptamer-functionalized hydrogels via nucleic acid hybridization.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Battig, Mark R; Soontornworajit, Boonchoy; Wang, Yong

    2012-08-01

    Polymeric delivery systems have been extensively studied to achieve localized and controlled release of protein drugs. However, it is still challenging to control the release of multiple protein drugs in distinct stages according to the progress of disease or treatment. This study successfully demonstrates that multiple protein drugs can be released from aptamer-functionalized hydrogels with adjustable release rates at predetermined time points using complementary sequences (CSs) as biomolecular triggers. Because both aptamer-protein interactions and aptamer-CS hybridization are sequence-specific, aptamer-functionalized hydrogels constitute a promising polymeric delivery system for the programmable release of multiple protein drugs to treat complex human diseases.

  19. Programmable display of DNA-protein chimeras for controlling cell-hydrogel interactions via reversible intermolecular hybridization.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Zhaoyang; Li, Shihui; Chen, Niancao; Yang, Cheng; Wang, Yong

    2013-04-08

    Extensive studies have been recently carried out to achieve dynamic control of cell-material interactions primarily through physicochemical stimulation. The purpose of this study was to apply reversible intermolecular hybridization to program cell-hydrogel interactions in physiological conditions based on DNA-antibody chimeras and complementary oligonucleotides. The results showed that DNA oligonucleotides could be captured to and released from the immobilizing DNA-functionalized hydrogels with high specificity via DNA hybridization. Accordingly, DNA-antibody chimeras were captured to the hydrogels, successfully inducing specific cell attachment. The cell attachment to the hydrogels reached the plateau at approximately half an hour after the functionalized hydrogels and the cells were incubated together. The attached cells were rapidly released from the bound hydrogels when triggering complementary oligonucleotides were introduced to the system. However, the capability of the triggering complementary oligonucleotides in releasing cells was affected by the length of intermolecular hybridization. The length needed to be at least more than 20 base pairs in the current experimental setting. Notably, because the procedure of intermolecular hybridization did not involve any harsh condition, the released cells maintained the same viability as that of the cultured cells. The functionalized hydrogels also exhibited the potential to catch and release cells repeatedly. Therefore, this study demonstrates that it is promising to regulate cell-material interactions dynamically through the DNA-programmed display of DNA-protein chimeras.

  20. Structural and biological properties of thermosensitive chitosan-graphene hybrid hydrogels for sustained drug delivery applications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saeednia, Leyla; Yao, Li; Berndt, Marcus; Cluff, Kim; Asmatulu, Ramazan

    2017-09-01

    Chitosan has the ability to make injectable thermosensitive hydrogels which has been highly investigated for drug delivery applications. The addition of nanoparticles is one way to increase the mechanical strength of thermosensitive chitosan hydrogel and subsequently and control the burst release of drug. Graphene nanoparticles have shown unique mechanical, optical and electrical properties which can be exploited for biomedical applications, especially in drug delivery. This study, have focused on the mechanical properties of a thermosensitive and injectable hybrid chitosan hydrogel incorporated with graphene nanoparticles. Scanning electron microscope (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, and X-ray diffraction (XRD) have been used for morphological and chemical characterization of graphene infused chitosan hydrogels. The cell viability and cytotoxicity of graphene-contained hydrogels were analyzed using the alamarBlue ® technique. In-vitro methotrexate (MTX) release was investigated from MTX-loaded hybrid hydrogels as well. As a last step, to evaluate their efficiency as a cancer treatment delivery system, an in vitro anti-tumor test was also carried out using MCF-7 breast cancer cell lines. Results confirmed that a thermosensitive chitosan-graphene hybrid hydrogel can be used as a potential breast cancer therapy system for controlled delivery of methotrexate. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 105A: 2381-2390, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  1. Gelatin- and starch-based hydrogels. Part A: Hydrogel development, characterization and coating.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Van Nieuwenhove, Ine; Salamon, Achim; Peters, Kirsten; Graulus, Geert-Jan; Martins, José C; Frankel, Daniel; Kersemans, Ken; De Vos, Filip; Van Vlierberghe, Sandra; Dubruel, Peter

    2016-11-05

    The present work aims at constructing the ideal scaffold matrix of which the physico-chemical properties can be altered according to the targeted tissue regeneration application. Ideally, this scaffold should resemble the natural extracellular matrix (ECM) as close as possible both in terms of chemical composition and mechanical properties. Therefore, hydrogel films were developed consisting of methacrylamide-modified gelatin and starch-pentenoate building blocks because the ECM can be considered as a crosslinked hydrogel network consisting of both polysaccharides and structural, signaling and cell-adhesive proteins. For the gelatin hydrogels, three different substitution degrees were evaluated including 31%, 72% and 95%. A substitution degree of 32% was applied for the starch-pentenoate building block. Pure gelatin hydrogels films as well as interpenetrating networks with gelatin and starch were developed. Subsequently, these films were characterized using gel fraction and swelling experiments, high resolution-magic angle spinning (1)H NMR spectroscopy, rheology, infrared mapping and atomic force microscopy. The results indicate that both the mechanical properties and the swelling extent of the developed hydrogel films can be controlled by varying the chemical composition and the degree of substitution of the methacrylamide-modified gelatin applied. The storage moduli of the developed materials ranged between 14 and 63kPa. Phase separation was observed for the IPNs for which separated starch domains could be distinguished located in the surrounding gelatin matrix. Furthermore, we evaluated the affinity of aggrecan for gelatin by atomic force microscopy and radiolabeling experiments. We found that aggrecan can be applied as a bioactive coating for gelatin hydrogels by a straightforward physisorption procedure. Thus, we achieved distinct fine-tuning of the physico-chemical properties of these hydrogels which render them promising candidates for tissue engineering

  2. Thermoresponsive Polymers and Inverse Opal Hydrogels for the Detection of Diols.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Couturier, Jean-Philippe; Wischerhoff, Erik; Bernin, Robert; Hettrich, Cornelia; Koetz, Joachim; Sütterlin, Martin; Tiersch, Brigitte; Laschewsky, André

    2016-05-03

    Responsive inverse opal hydrogels functionalized by boroxole moieties were synthesized and explored as sensor platforms for various low molar mass as well as polymeric diols and polyols, including saccharides, glycopolymers and catechols, by exploiting the diol induced modulation of their structural color. The underlying thermoresponsive water-soluble copolymers and hydrogels exhibit a coil-to-globule or volume phase transition, respectively, of the LCST-type. They were prepared from oligoethylene oxide methacrylate (macro)monomers and functionalized via copolymerization to bear benzoboroxole moieties. The resulting copolymers represent weak polyacids, which can bind specifically to diols within an appropriate pH window. Due to the resulting modulation of the overall hydrophilicity of the systems and the consequent shift of their phase transition temperature, the usefulness of such systems for indicating the presence of catechols, saccharides, and glycopolymers was studied, exploiting the diol/polyol induced shifts of the soluble polymers' cloud point, or the induced changes of the hydrogels' swelling. In particular, the increased acidity of benzoboroxoles compared to standard phenylboronic acids allowed performing the studies in PBS buffer (phosphate buffered saline) at the physiologically relevant pH of 7.4. The inverse opals constructed of these thermo- and analyte-responsive hydrogels enabled following the binding of specific diols by the induced shift of the optical stop band. Their highly porous structure enabled the facile and specific optical detection of not only low molar mass but also of high molar mass diol/polyol analytes such as glycopolymers. Accordingly, such thermoresponsive inverse opal systems functionalized with recognition units represent attractive and promising platforms for the facile sensing of even rather big analytes by simple optical means, or even by the bare eye.

  3. Functional and in vitro gastric digestibility of the whey protein hydrogel loaded with nanostructured lipid carriers and gelled via citric acid-mediated crosslinking.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hashemi, Behnaz; Madadlou, Ashkan; Salami, Maryam

    2017-12-15

    Nanostructured lipid carriers (NLCs) with mean size of 347nm were fabricated and added into a heat-denatured whey protein solution. The subsequent crosslinking of proteins by citric acid or CaCl 2 resulted in the formation of cold-set hydrogels. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) proposed formation of more hydrogen bonds in gel due to NLC loading or citric acid-mediated gelation. It was also found based on FITR spectroscopy that citric acid crosslinking disordered whey proteins. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) imaging showed a non-porous and finely meshed microstructure for the crosslinked gels compared to non-crosslinked counterparts. Crosslinking also increased the firmness and water-holding capacity of gels. In pepsin-free fluid, a strong correlation existed between reduction in gel swellability and digestibility over periods up to 60min due to NLC loading and citric acid gelation. However, in peptic fluid, NLC loading and citric acid crosslinking brought about much higher decrease in digestibility than swellability. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. A review on polymeric hydrogel membranes for wound dressing applications: PVA-based hydrogel dressings

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elbadawy A. Kamoun

    2017-05-01

    Full Text Available This review presents the past and current efforts with a brief description on the featured properties of hydrogel membranes fabricated from biopolymers and synthetic ones for wound dressing applications. Many endeavors have been exerted during past ten years for developing new artificial polymeric membranes, which fulfill the demanded conditions for the treatment of skin wounds. This review mainly focuses on representing specifications of ideal polymeric wound dressing membranes, such as crosslinked hydrogels compatible with wound dressing purposes. But as the hydrogels with single component have low mechanical strength, recent trends have offered composite or hybrid hydrogel membranes to achieve the typical wound dressing requirements.

  5. Hydrogels from feather keratin show higher viscoelastic properties and cell proliferation than those from hair and wool keratins.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Esparza, Yussef; Bandara, Nandika; Ullah, Aman; Wu, Jianping

    2018-09-01

    Hydrogel prepared from keratin shows potential applications in tissue engineering. However, the importance of the keratin sources has not been considered. The objectives of this study were to characterize and compare the rheological (storage modulus), physical (porosity, pore size, swelling capacity, and water contact angle) and in vitro cell compatibility of hydrogel scaffolds prepared from various keratin sources. Keratins were characterized by means of their molecular weight, amino acid composition, thermal and conformational properties. Hydrogels from chicken feather keratins demonstrated substantially higher storage modulus (G') than hair and wool keratin hydrogels. However, higher swelling capacity (>3000%) was determined in hair and wool over feather keratin (1500%) hydrogels. Our results suggest that small molecular weight and β-sheet conformation of feather keratin (~10 kDa) facilitated the self-assembly of rigid hydrogels through disulfide bond re-oxidation. Whereas, high molecular weight (10-75 kDa) stretchable α-helix conformation in hair and wool keratins resulted in weaker hydrogels. The cell cultures using fibroblasts showed the highest proliferation rate on chicken feather keratin hydrogel scaffolds. After 15 days of culture, partial breakdown of keratin fibers was observed. Results indicate that stiffer avian keratins can be used to fabricate more mechanically robust biomaterials than mammalian keratins. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  6. A self-standing hydrogel neutral electrolyte for high voltage and safe flexible supercapacitors

    Science.gov (United States)

    Batisse, N.; Raymundo-Piñero, E.

    2017-04-01

    The development of safe flexible supercapacitors implies the use of new non-liquid electrolytes for avoiding device leakage which combine mechanical properties and electrochemical performance. In this sense, hydrogel electrolytes composed of a solid non-conductive matrix holding an aqueous electrolytic phase are a reliable solution. In this work, we propose a green physical route for producing self-standing hydrogel films from a PVA polymer based on the freezing/thawing method without using chemical cross-linking agents. Moreover, a neutral electrolytic phase as Na2SO4 is used for reaching higher cell voltages than in an acidic or basic electrolyte. Such new PVA-Na2SO4 hydrogel electrolyte, which also acts as separator, allows reaching voltages windows as high as 1.8 V in a symmetric carbon/carbon supercapacitor with optimal capacitance retention through thousands of cycles. Additionally, in reason of the fast mobility of the ions inside of the polymeric matrix, the hydrogel electrolyte based supercapacitor keeps the power density of the liquid electrolyte device.

  7. Thermal Transport in Soft PAAm Hydrogels

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ni Tang

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available As the interface between human and machine becomes blurred, hydrogel incorporated electronics and devices have emerged to be a new class of flexible/stretchable electronic and ionic devices due to their extraordinary properties, such as softness, mechanically robustness, and biocompatibility. However, heat dissipation in these devices could be a critical issue and remains unexplored. Here, we report the experimental measurements and equilibrium molecular dynamics simulations of thermal conduction in polyacrylamide (PAAm hydrogels. The thermal conductivity of PAAm hydrogels can be modulated by both the effective crosslinking density and water content in hydrogels. The effective crosslinking density dependent thermal conductivity in hydrogels varies from 0.33 to 0.51 Wm−1K−1, giving a 54% enhancement. We attribute the crosslinking effect to the competition between the increased conduction pathways and the enhanced phonon scattering effect. Moreover, water content can act as filler in polymers which leads to nearly 40% enhancement in thermal conductivity in PAAm hydrogels with water content vary from 23 to 88 wt %. Furthermore, we find the thermal conductivity of PAAm hydrogel is insensitive to temperature in the range of 25–40 °C. Our study offers fundamental understanding of thermal transport in soft materials and provides design guidance for hydrogel-based devices.

  8. Synthesis and characterization of arginine-NIPAAm hybrid hydrogel as wound dressing: In vitro and in vivo study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, De-Qun; Zhu, Jie; Han, Hua; Zhang, Jun-Zhi; Wu, Fei-Fei; Qin, Xiao-Hong; Yu, Jian-Yong

    2018-01-01

    A multi-functional hybrid hydrogel P(M-Arg/NIPAAm) with temperature response, anti-protein adsorption and antibacterial properties was prepared and applied as wound dressing. The hydrogel was carried out by free radical copolymerization of methacrylate arginine (M-Arg) and N-isopropyl acrylamide (NIPAAm) monomers using N,N'-methylene bisacrylamide as a crosslinker, and ammonium persulfate/N,N,N', N'-tetramethylethylenediamine as the redox initiator. To endow the antimicrobial property, chlorhexidine diacetate (CHX) was preloaded into the hydrogel and polyhexamethylene guanidine phosphate (PHMG) was grafted on the hydrogel surface, respectively. The antimicrobial property of two series of hydrogels was evaluated and compared. The successful synthesis of M-Arg, PHMG and hydrogels was proved by 13 C NMR, 1 H NMR and FTIR spectroscopy. The hydrogel morphology characterized by scanning electron microscopy confirmed that the homogeneous porous and interconnected structures of the hydrogels. The swelling, protein adsorption property, in vitro release of CHX, antimicrobial assessment, cell viability as well as in vivo wound healing in a mouse model were studied. The results showed the nontoxicity and antimicrobial P(M-Arg/NIPAAm) hydrogel accelerated the full-thickness wound healing process and had the potential application in wound dressing. Despite the zwitterionic characteristic and biocompatible property of arginine based hydrogels, the brittle behavior and non-transparency still remain as a significant problem for wound dressing. Furthermore promoting the antibacterial property of the zwitterionic hydrogel is also necessary to prevent the bacterial colonization and subsequent wound infection. Therefore, we created a hybrid hydrogel combined methacrylate arginine (M-Arg) and N-isopropyl acrylamide (NIPAAm). NIPAAm improves transparency and mechanical property as well as acts as a temperature-response drug release system. Additionally, chlorhexidine (CHX) was preloaded

  9. Electrochemical characterization of hydrogels for biomimetic applications

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Peláez, L.; Romero, V.; Escalera, S.

    2011-01-01

    ) or a photoinitiator (P) to encapsulate and stabilize biomimetic membranes for novel separation technologies or biosensor applications. In this paper, we have investigated the electrochemical properties of the hydrogels used for membrane encapsulation. Specifically, we studied the crosslinked hydrogels by using...... electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), and we demonstrated that chemically crosslinked hydrogels had lower values for the effective electrical resistance and higher values for the electrical capacitance compared with hydrogels with photoinitiated crosslinking. Transport numbers were obtained using......〉 and 〈Pw〉 values than PEG‐1000‐DMA‐P and PEG‐400‐DA‐P hydrogels. In conclusion, our results show that hydrogel electrochemical properties can be controlled by the choice of polymer and type of crosslinking used and that their water and salt permeability properties are congruent with the use of hydrogels...

  10. Molecular and macro-scale analysis of enzyme-crosslinked silk hydrogels for rational biomaterial design.

    Science.gov (United States)

    McGill, Meghan; Coburn, Jeannine M; Partlow, Benjamin P; Mu, Xuan; Kaplan, David L

    2017-11-01

    Silk fibroin-based hydrogels have exciting applications in tissue engineering and therapeutic molecule delivery; however, their utility is dependent on their diffusive properties. The present study describes a molecular and macro-scale investigation of enzymatically-crosslinked silk fibroin hydrogels, and demonstrates that these systems have tunable crosslink density and diffusivity. We developed a liquid chromatography tandem mass spectroscopy (LC-MS/MS) method to assess the quantity and order of covalent tyrosine crosslinks in the hydrogels. This analysis revealed between 28 and 56% conversion of tyrosine to dityrosine, which was dependent on the silk concentration and reactant concentration. The crosslink density was then correlated with storage modulus, revealing that both crosslinking and protein concentration influenced the mechanical properties of the hydrogels. The diffusive properties of the bulk material were studied by fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP), which revealed a non-linear relationship between silk concentration and diffusivity. As a result of this work, a model for synthesizing hydrogels with known crosslink densities and diffusive properties has been established, enabling the rational design of silk hydrogels for biomedical applications. Hydrogels from naturally-derived silk polymers offer versitile opportunities in the biomedical field, however, their design has largely been an empirical process. We present a fundamental study of the crosslink density, storage modulus, and diffusion behavior of enzymatically-crosslinked silk hydrogels to better inform scaffold design. These studies revealed unexpected non-linear trends in the crosslink density and diffusivity of silk hydrogels with respect to protein concentration and crosslink reagent concentration. This work demonstrates the tunable diffusivity and crosslinking in silk fibroin hydrogels, and enables the rational design of biomaterials. Further, the characterization methods

  11. Flexible pH-Sensing Hydrogel Fibers for Epidermal Applications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tamayol, Ali; Akbari, Mohsen; Zilberman, Yael; Comotto, Mattia; Lesha, Emal; Serex, Ludovic; Bagherifard, Sara; Chen, Yu; Fu, Guoqing; Ameri, Shideh Kabiri; Ruan, Weitong; Miller, Eric L; Dokmeci, Mehmet R; Sonkusale, Sameer; Khademhosseini, Ali

    2016-03-01

    Epidermal pH is an indication of the skin's physiological condition. For example, pH of wound can be correlated to angiogenesis, protease activity, bacterial infection, etc. Chronic nonhealing wounds are known to have an elevated alkaline environment, while healing process occurs more readily in an acidic environment. Thus, dermal patches capable of continuous pH measurement can be used as point-of-care systems for monitoring skin disorder and the wound healing process. Here, pH-responsive hydrogel fibers are presented that can be used for long-term monitoring of epidermal wound condition. pH-responsive dyes are loaded into mesoporous microparticles and incorporated into hydrogel fibers using a microfluidic spinning system. The fabricated pH-responsive microfibers are flexible and can create conformal contact with skin. The response of pH-sensitive fibers with different compositions and thicknesses are characterized. The suggested technique is scalable and can be used to fabricate hydrogel-based wound dressings with clinically relevant dimensions. Images of the pH-sensing fibers during real-time pH measurement can be captured with a smart phone camera for convenient readout on-site. Through image processing, a quantitative pH map of the hydrogel fibers and the underlying tissue can be extracted. The developed skin dressing can act as a point-of-care device for monitoring the wound healing process. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  12. Energy conversion in polyelectrolyte hydrogels

    Science.gov (United States)

    Olvera de La Cruz, Monica; Erbas, Aykut; Olvera de la Cruz Team

    Energy conversion and storage have been an active field of research in nanotechnology parallel to recent interests towards renewable energy. Polyelectrolyte (PE) hydrogels have attracted considerable attention in this field due to their mechanical flexibility and stimuli-responsive properties. Ideally, when a hydrogel is deformed, applied mechanical work can be converted into electrostatic, elastic and steric-interaction energies. In this talk, we discuss the results of our extensive molecular dynamics simulations of PE hydrogels. We demonstrate that, on deformation, hydrogels adjust their deformed state predominantly by altering electrostatic interactions between their charged groups rather than excluded-volume and bond energies. This is due to the hydrogel's inherent tendency to preserve electro-neutrality in its interior, in combination with correlations imposed by backbone charges. Our findings are valid for a wide range of compression ratios and ionic strengths. The electrostatic-energy alterations that we observe in our MD simulations may induce pH or redox-potential changes inside the hydrogels. The resulting energetic difference can be harvested, for instance, analogously to a Carnot engine, or facilitated for sensor applications. Center for Bio-inspired Energy Science (CBES).

  13. Biomimetic Hydrogel Composites for Soil Stabilization and Contaminant Mitigation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Zhi; Hamdan, Nasser; Shen, Li; Nan, Hanqing; Almajed, Abdullah; Kavazanjian, Edward; He, Ximin

    2016-11-15

    We have developed a novel method to synthesize a hyper-branched biomimetic hydrogel network across a soil matrix to improve the mechanical strength of the loose soil and simultaneously mitigate potential contamination due to excessive ammonium. This method successfully yielded a hierarchical structure that possesses the water retention, ion absorption, and soil aggregation capabilities of plant root systems in a chemically controllable manner. Inspired by the robust organic-inorganic composites found in many living organisms, we have combined this hydrogel network with a calcite biomineralization process to stabilize soil. Our experiments demonstrate that poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) can work synergistically with enzyme-induced carbonate precipitation (EICP) to render a versatile, high-performance soil stabilization method. PAA-enhanced EICP provides multiple benefits including lengthening of water supply time, localization of cementation reactions, reduction of harmful byproduct ammonium, and achievement of ultrahigh soil strength. Soil crusts we have obtained can sustain up to 4.8 × 10 3 kPa pressure, a level comparable to cementitious materials. An ammonium removal rate of 96% has also been achieved. These results demonstrate the potential for hydrogel-assisted EICP to provide effective soil improvement and ammonium mitigation for wind erosion control and other applications.

  14. Ion-recognizable hydrogels for efficient removal of cesium ions from aqueous environment

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Yu, Hai-Rong [School of Chemical Engineering, Sichuan University, No. 24, Southern 1 Section, Yihuan Road, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610065 (China); College of Chemistry and Environment Protection Engineering, Southwest University for Nationalities, No. 16, Southern 4 Section, Yihuan Road, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610041 (China); Hu, Jia-Qi [School of Chemical Engineering, Sichuan University, No. 24, Southern 1 Section, Yihuan Road, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610065 (China); Liu, Zhuang, E-mail: liuz@scu.edu.cn [School of Chemical Engineering, Sichuan University, No. 24, Southern 1 Section, Yihuan Road, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610065 (China); Ju, Xiao-Jie; Xie, Rui; Wang, Wei [School of Chemical Engineering, Sichuan University, No. 24, Southern 1 Section, Yihuan Road, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610065 (China); State Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610065 (China); Chu, Liang-Yin, E-mail: chuly@scu.edu.cn [School of Chemical Engineering, Sichuan University, No. 24, Southern 1 Section, Yihuan Road, Chengdu, Sichuan, 610065 (China); State Key Laboratory of Polymer Materials Engineering, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610065 (China); Jiangsu National Synergetic Innovation Center for Advanced Materials (SICAM), Nanjing, Jiangsu 211816 (China)

    2017-02-05

    Highlights: • An easy-to-get and low-cost Cs{sup +}-recognizable polymeric hydrogel has been developed. • The hydrogel displays rapid and selective adsorption towards Cs{sup +}. • Synergistic effect of AAc units and Cs{sup +}(B18C6){sub 2} host-guest complexes is good for adsorption. • The hydrogel shows great potential for decontamination of Cs{sup +} from radioactive contaminants. - Abstract: At present, selective and efficient removal of cesium ions (Cs{sup +}) from nuclear waste is of significant importance but still challenging. In this study, an easy-to-get and low-cost hydrogel adsorbent has been developed for effective adsorption and removal of Cs{sup +} from aqueous environment. The novel Cs{sup +}-recognizable poly(acrylic acid-co-benzo-18-crown-6-acrylamide) (poly(AAc-co-B18C6Am)) hydrogel is specifically designed with a synergistic effect, in which the AAc units are designed to attract Cs{sup +} via electrostatic attraction and the B18C6Am units are designed to capture the attracted Cs{sup +} by forming stable 2:1 “sandwich” complexes. The poly(AAc-co-B18C6Am) hydrogels are simply synthesized by thermally initiated free-radical copolymerization and display excellent Cs{sup +} adsorption from commonly coexisting metal ions. Important parameters affecting the adsorption are investigated comprehensively, and the adsorption kinetics and adsorption isotherms are also discussed systematically. The poly(AAc-co-B18C6Am) hydrogels exhibit rapid Cs{sup +} adsorption within 30 min and the adsorption process is governed by the pseudo-second order model. Adsorption isotherm results demonstrate that the equilibrium data are well fitted by the Langmuir isotherm model, indicating that the Cs{sup +} adsorption is probably a monolayer adsorption process. Such Cs{sup +}-recognizable hydrogel materials based on the host-guest complexation are promising as efficient and feasible candidates for adsorption and removal of radioactive Cs{sup +} from nuclear

  15. Polymeric hydrogels containing complexant agents for retention of pollutants containing thorium

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Oliveira, Maria Jose A.; Carreiro, Julio C.; Parra, Duclerc F.; Lugao, Ademar B.

    2005-01-01

    The hydrogels of poly(N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone) (PVP), constituted of around 90% of water , show properties of retaining great amount of water and consequently can also retain substances that were made soluble, with either particular or specific reactive properties. In the light of this, these matrixes can be used as support for both capture and retention of radioactive substances of contaminated surfaces. Modified hydrogels containing complexant agents had been obtained in solution, in order to capture contaminated substances. The study of the ionizing radiation effect in polymer is of great interest not only to the development of materials which operate in conditions of radiation but also to the usage of the technique with purpose of both polymeric structure modification and acquisition of new materials. Membranes of hydrogels have been obtained with poly(N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone)-PVP, polyethyleneglycol (PEG), Agar and several concentrations of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA), and sodium citrate. Theses samples were irradiated in 60 Co source, 15 kGy/h dose and submitted to thermal characterization in a Mettler-Toledo SDTA/851 equipment. The hydrogels membranes polymerized by radiation were put in contact with thorium nitrate solution, dehydrated and calcined, after that their ashes were analyzed. In the case of solution containing thorium were analyzed by spectrophotometric. (author)

  16. Nanocomposite hydrogels stabilized by self-assembled multivalent bisphosphonate-magnesium nanoparticles mediate sustained release of magnesium ion and promote in-situ bone regeneration.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Kunyu; Lin, Sien; Feng, Qian; Dong, Chaoqun; Yang, Yanhua; Li, Gang; Bian, Liming

    2017-12-01

    Hydrogels are appealing biomaterials for applications in regenerative medicine due to their tunable physical and bioactive properties. Meanwhile, therapeutic metal ions, such as magnesium ion (Mg 2+ ), not only regulate the cellular behaviors but also stimulate local bone formation and healing. However, the effective delivery and tailored release of Mg 2+ remains a challenge, with few reports on hydrogels being used for Mg 2+ delivery. Bisphosphonate exhibits a variety of specific bioactivities and excellent binding affinity to multivalent cations such as Mg 2+ . Herein, we describe a nanocomposite hydrogel based on hyaluronic acid and self-assembled bisphosphonate-magnesium (BP-Mg) nanoparticles. These nanoparticles bearing acrylate groups on the surface not only function as effective multivalent crosslinkers to strengthen the hydrogel network structure, but also promote the mineralization of hydrogels and mediate sustained release of Mg 2+ . The released Mg 2+ ions facilitate stem cell adhesion and spreading on the hydrogel substrates in the absence of cell adhesion ligands, and promote osteogenesis of the seeded hMSCs in vitro. Furthermore, the acellular porous hydrogels alone can support in situ bone regeneration without using exogenous cells and inductive agents, thereby greatly simplifying the approaches of bone regeneration therapy. In this study, we developed a novel bioactive nanocomposite hydrogel based on hyaluronic acid and self-assembled bisphosphonate-magnesium (BP-Mg) nanoparticles. Such hydrogels are stabilized by the multivalent crosslinking domains formed by the aggregation of Ac-BP-Mg NPs, and therefore show enhanced mechanical properties, improved capacity for mineralization, and controlled release kinetics of Mg 2+ . Moreover, the released Mg 2+ can enhance cell adhesion and spreading, and further promote the osteogenic differentiation of hMSCs. Owing to these unique properties, these acellular hydrogels alone can well facilitate the in vivo

  17. Hydrogel-embedded endothelial progenitor cells evade LPS and mitigate endotoxemia.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ghaly, Tammer; Rabadi, May M; Weber, Mia; Rabadi, Seham M; Bank, Michael; Grom, John M; Fallon, John T; Goligorsky, Michael S; Ratliff, Brian B

    2011-10-01

    Sepsis and its complications are associated with poor clinical outcomes. The circulatory system is a well-known target of lipopolysaccharide (LPS). Recently, several clinical studies documented mobilization of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) during endotoxemia, with the probability of patients' survival correlating with the rise in circulating EPCs. This fact combined with endotoxemia-induced vascular injury led us to hypothesize that the developing functional EPC incompetence could impede vascular repair and that adoptive transfer of EPCs could improve hemodynamics in endotoxemia. We used LPS injection to model endotoxemia. EPCs isolated from endotoxemic mice exhibited impaired clonogenic potential and LPS exerted Toll-like receptor 4-mediated cytotoxic effects toward EPCs, which was mitigated by embedding them in hyaluronic acid (HA) hydrogels. Therefore, intact EPCs were either delivered intravenously or embedded within pronectin-coated HA hydrogels. Adoptive transfer of EPCs in LPS-injected mice improved control of blood pressure and reduced hepatocellular and renal dysfunction. Specifically, EPC treatment was associated with the restoration of renal microcirculation and improved renal function. EPC therapy was most efficient when cells were delivered embedded in HA hydrogel. These findings establish major therapeutic benefits of adoptive transfer of EPCs, especially when embedded in HA hydrogels, in mice with LPS-induced endotoxemia, and they argue that hemodynamic and renal abnormalities of endotoxemia are in significant part due to developing incompetence of endogenous EPCs.

  18. A high efficacy antimicrobial acrylate based hydrogels with incorporated copper for wound healing application

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Vuković, Jovana S.; Babić, Marija M.; Antić, Katarina M.; Miljković, Miona G.; Perić-Grujić, Aleksandra A.; Filipović, Jovanka M.; Tomić, Simonida Lj., E-mail: simonida@tmf.bg.ac.rs

    2015-08-15

    In this study, three series of hydrogels based on 2-hydroxyethyl acrylate and itaconic acid, unloaded, with incorporated copper(II) ions and reduced copper, were successfully prepared, characterized and evaluated as novel wound healing materials. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) confirmed the expected structure of obtained hydrogels. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed porous morphology of unloaded hydrogels, and the morphological modifications in case of loaded hydrogels. Thermal characteristics were examined by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and the glass transition temperatures were observed in range of 12–50 °C. Swelling study was conducted in wide range of pHs at 37 °C, confirming pH sensitive behaviour for all three series of hydrogels. The in vitro copper release was investigated and the experimental data were analysed using several models in order to elucidate the transport mechanism. The antimicrobial assay revealed excellent antimicrobial activity, over 99% against Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Candida albicans, as well as good correlation with the copper release experiments. In accordance with potential application, water vapour transmission rate, oxygen penetration, dispersion characteristics, fluid retention were observed and the suitability of the hydrogels for wound healing application was discussed. - Graphical abstract: Display Omitted - Highlights: • Design and evaluation of novel pH responsive hydrogel series. • Structural, morphological, thermal characterization and controlled copper release. • Antibacterial activity against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus over 99%. • Antifungal activity against Candida albicans over 99%. • In vitro evaluation studies revealed great potential for wound healing application.

  19. Development of a hybrid scaffold with synthetic biomaterials and hydrogel using solid freeform fabrication technology

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shim, Jin-Hyung; Park, Min; Park, Jaesung; Cho, Dong-Woo; Kim, Jong Young

    2011-01-01

    Natural biomaterials such as hyaluronic acid, gelatin and collagen provide excellent environments for tissue regeneration. Furthermore, gel-state natural biomaterials are advantageous for encapsulating cells and growth factors. In cell printing technology, hydrogel which contains cells was printed directly to form three-dimensional (3D) structures for tissue or organ regeneration using various types of printers. However, maintaining the 3D shape of the printed structure, which is made only of the hydrogel, is very difficult due to its weak mechanical properties. In this study, we developed a hybrid scaffold consisting of synthetic biomaterials and natural hydrogel using a multi-head deposition system, which is useful in solid freeform fabrication technology. The hydrogel was intentionally infused into the space between the lines of a synthetic biomaterial-based scaffold. The cellular efficacy of the hybrid scaffold was validated using rat primary hepatocytes and a mouse pre-osteoblast MC3T3-E1 cell line. In addition, the collagen hydrogel, which encapsulates cells, was dispensed and the viability of the cells observed. We demonstrated superior effects of the hybrid scaffold on cell adhesion and proliferation and showed the high viability of dispensed cells.

  20. 3D bioprinting of methacrylated hyaluronic acid (MeHA) hydrogel with intrinsic osteogenicity

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Poldervaart, Michelle T.; Goversen, Birgit; De Ruijter, Mylene; Abbadessa, Anna; Melchels, Ferry P.W.; Öner, F. Cumhur; Dhert, Wouter J A; Vermonden, Tina; Alblas, Jacqueline

    2017-01-01

    In bone regenerative medicine there is a need for suitable bone substitutes. Hydrogels have excellent biocompatible and biodegradable characteristics, but their visco-elastic properties limit their applicability, especially with respect to 3D bioprinting. In this study, we modified the naturally

  1. Cross-Linked Hydrogel for Pharmaceutical Applications: A Review

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rabinarayan parhi

    2017-12-01

    Full Text Available Hydrogels are promising biomaterials because of their important qualities such as biocompatibility, biodegradability, hydrophilicity and non-toxicity. These qualities make hydrogels suitable for application in medical and pharmaceutical field. Recently, a tremendous growth of hydrogel application is seen, especially as gel and patch form, in transdermal drug delivery. This review mainly focuses on the types of hydrogels based on cross-linking and; secondly to describe the possible synthesis methods to design hydrogels for different pharmaceutical applications. The synthesis and chemistry of these hydrogels are discussed using specific pharmaceutical examples. The structure and water content in a typical hydrogel have also been discussed.

  2. Synthesis and preparation of biodegradable hybrid dextran hydrogel incorporated with biodegradable curcumin nanomicelles for full thickness wound healing.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Alibolandi, Mona; Mohammadi, Marzieh; Taghdisi, Seyed Mohammad; Abnous, Khalil; Ramezani, Mohammad

    2017-10-30

    There is a clinical need for a novel, more efficient therapy for full thickness wound healing. In the current study, curcumin encapsulated PEG-PLA [poly(lactide)-block-poly(ethylene glycol)] nanomicelles were incorporated into dextran hydrogel for a full thickness dermal wound healing application. To assess the application of the hydrogel as a therapeutic wound dressing, its morphology, swelling pattern, kinetics of degradation, and capacity to control curcumin release were evaluated. It was found that the prepared hybrid hydrogel had acceptable biocompatibility, incorporation capacity of curcumin nanomicelles, and mechanical properties. An in vitro release experiment also demonstrated the sustained release of curcumin from dextran hydrogel, which was first controlled by the diffusion of curcumin from hydrogel and continued through hydrogel matrix erosion at the terminal phase. An in vivo wound healing experiment was carried out using dressing hydrogels on full thickness wounds in BALB/c mice. An histological study demonstrated that the application of curcumin nanomicelles incorporated hydrogel could significantly augment the re-epithelialization of epidermis and collagen deposition in the wound area. Expression of CD31 and vimentin in wound tissue was investigated using immunohistochemistry tests on the eighth day post wounding. The results obtained demonstrated that curcumin nanomicelles incorporated hydrogel could significantly accelerate angiogenesis, fibroblast accumulation, and the process of wound healing. Together, the data indicate that the prepared hybrid curcumin PEG-PLA nanomicelles incorporated dextran hydrogel is a promising candidate for full thickness wound treatment that increases re-epithelialization, collagen deposition, angiogenesis, and tissue granulation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  3. Free radical scavenging injectable hydrogels for regenerative therapy

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Komeri, Remya [Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology, Polymer Science Division, BMT Wing, Thiruvananthapuram 695 012, Kerala State (India); Thankam, Finosh Gnanaprakasam [Dept. of Biomedical Sciences, Creighton University, 2500 California Plaza, Omaha NE68178 (United States); Muthu, Jayabalan, E-mail: mjayabalan52@gmail.com [Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology, Polymer Science Division, BMT Wing, Thiruvananthapuram 695 012, Kerala State (India)

    2017-02-01

    Pathological free radicals generated from inflamed and infarcted cardiac tissues interferes natural tissue repair mechanisms. Hypoxic microenvironment at the injured zone of non-regenerating cardiac tissues hinders the therapeutic attempts including cell therapy. Here we report an injectable, cytocompatible, free radical scavenging synthetic hydrogel formulation for regenerative therapy. New hydrogel (PEAX-P) is prepared with D-xylitol-co-fumarate-co-poly ethylene adipate-co-PEG comaromer (PEAX) and PEGDiacrylate. PEAX-P hydrogel swells 4.9 times the initial weight and retains 100.07 kPa Young modulus at equilibrium swelling, which is suitable for cardiac applications. PEAX-P hydrogel retains elastic nature even at 60% compressive strain, which is favorable to fit with the dynamic and elastic natural tissue counterparts. PEAX-P hydrogel scavenges 51% DPPH radical, 40% hydroxyl radicals 41% nitrate radicals with 31% reducing power. The presence of hydrogel protects 62% cardiomyoblast cells treated with stress inducing media at LD 50 concentration. The free hydroxyl groups in sugar alcohols of the comacromer influence the free radical scavenging. Comparatively, PEAX-P hydrogel based on xylitol evinces slightly lower scavenging characteristics than with previously reported PEAM-P hydrogel containing mannitol having more hydroxyl groups. The possible free radical scavenging mechanism of the present hydrogel relies on the free π electrons associated with uncrosslinked fumarate bonds, hydrogen atoms associated with sugar alcohols/PEG and radical dilution by free water in the matrix. Briefly, the present PEAX-P hydrogel is a potential injectable system for combined antioxidant and regenerative therapy. - Graphical abstract: Injectable hydrogel with inherent free radical scavenging property for regenerative tissue engineering application. - Highlights: • Novel injectable hydrogel (PEAX-P) is prepared using D-xylitol-co-fumarate-co-poly ethylene adipate-co-PEG comaromer

  4. Free radical scavenging injectable hydrogels for regenerative therapy

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Komeri, Remya; Thankam, Finosh Gnanaprakasam; Muthu, Jayabalan

    2017-01-01

    Pathological free radicals generated from inflamed and infarcted cardiac tissues interferes natural tissue repair mechanisms. Hypoxic microenvironment at the injured zone of non-regenerating cardiac tissues hinders the therapeutic attempts including cell therapy. Here we report an injectable, cytocompatible, free radical scavenging synthetic hydrogel formulation for regenerative therapy. New hydrogel (PEAX-P) is prepared with D-xylitol-co-fumarate-co-poly ethylene adipate-co-PEG comaromer (PEAX) and PEGDiacrylate. PEAX-P hydrogel swells 4.9 times the initial weight and retains 100.07 kPa Young modulus at equilibrium swelling, which is suitable for cardiac applications. PEAX-P hydrogel retains elastic nature even at 60% compressive strain, which is favorable to fit with the dynamic and elastic natural tissue counterparts. PEAX-P hydrogel scavenges 51% DPPH radical, 40% hydroxyl radicals 41% nitrate radicals with 31% reducing power. The presence of hydrogel protects 62% cardiomyoblast cells treated with stress inducing media at LD 50 concentration. The free hydroxyl groups in sugar alcohols of the comacromer influence the free radical scavenging. Comparatively, PEAX-P hydrogel based on xylitol evinces slightly lower scavenging characteristics than with previously reported PEAM-P hydrogel containing mannitol having more hydroxyl groups. The possible free radical scavenging mechanism of the present hydrogel relies on the free π electrons associated with uncrosslinked fumarate bonds, hydrogen atoms associated with sugar alcohols/PEG and radical dilution by free water in the matrix. Briefly, the present PEAX-P hydrogel is a potential injectable system for combined antioxidant and regenerative therapy. - Graphical abstract: Injectable hydrogel with inherent free radical scavenging property for regenerative tissue engineering application. - Highlights: • Novel injectable hydrogel (PEAX-P) is prepared using D-xylitol-co-fumarate-co-poly ethylene adipate-co-PEG comaromer

  5. Dynamic culture of a thermosensitive collagen hydrogel as an extracellular matrix improves the construction of tissue-engineered peripheral nerve.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Lanfeng; Li, Rui; Liu, Wanguo; Dai, Jin; Du, Zhenwu; Wang, Xiaonan; Ma, Jianchao; Zhao, Jinsong

    2014-07-15

    Tissue engineering technologies offer new treatment strategies for the repair of peripheral nerve injury, but cell loss between seeding and adhesion to the scaffold remains inevitable. A thermosensitive collagen hydrogel was used as an extracellular matrix in this study and combined with bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells to construct tissue-engineered peripheral nerve composites in vitro. Dynamic culture was performed at an oscillating frequency of 0.5 Hz and 35° swing angle above and below the horizontal plane. The results demonstrated that bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells formed membrane-like structures around the poly-L-lactic acid scaffolds and exhibited regular alignment on the composite surface. Collagen was used to fill in the pores, and seeded cells adhered onto the poly-L-lactic acid fibers. The DNA content of the bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells was higher in the composites constructed with a thermosensitive collagen hydrogel compared with that in collagen I scaffold controls. The cellular DNA content was also higher in the thermosensitive collagen hydrogel composites constructed with the thermosensitive collagen hydrogel in dynamic culture than that in static culture. These results indicate that tissue-engineered composites formed with thermosensitive collagen hydrogel in dynamic culture can maintain larger numbers of seeded cells by avoiding cell loss during the initial adhesion stage. Moreover, seeded cells were distributed throughout the material.

  6. Injectable hydrogel as stem cell scaffolds from the thermosensitive terpolymer of NIPAAm/AAc/HEMAPCL

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Lian S

    2012-09-01

    Full Text Available Sheng Lian,1Yan Xiao,1 Qingqing Bian,1Yu Xia,2 Changfa Guo,2 Shenguo Wang,2 Meidong Lang11Shanghai Key Laboratory of Advanced Polymeric Materials, Key Laboratory for Ultrafine Materials of Ministry of Education, School of Materials Science and Engineering, East China University of Science and Technology, Shanghai, People's Republic of China; 2Department of Cardiac Surgery, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University and Shanghai Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, Shanghai, People's Republic of ChinaAbstract: A series of biodegradable thermosensitive copolymers was synthesized by free radical polymerization with N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAm, acrylic acid (AAc and macromer 2-hydroxylethyl methacrylate-poly(ε-caprolactone (HEMAPCL. The structure and composition of the obtained terpolymers were confirmed by proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, while their molecular weight was measured using gel permeation chromatography. The copolymers were dissolved in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS solution (pH = 7.4 with different concentrations to prepare hydrogels. The lower critical solution temperature (LCST, cloud point, and rheological property of the hydrogels were determined by differential scanning calorimetry, ultraviolet-visible spectrometry, and rotational rheometry, respectively. It was found that LCST of the hydrogel increased significantly with the increasing NIPAAm content, and hydrogel with higher AAc/HEMAPCL ratio exhibited better storage modulus, water content, and injectability. The hydrogels were formed by maintaining the copolymer solution at 37°C. The degradation experiment on the formed hydrogels was conducted in PBS solution for 2 weeks and demonstrated a less than 20% weight loss. Scanning electron microscopy was also used to study the morphology of the hydrogel. The copolymer with NIPAAm/AAc/HEMAPCL ratio of 88:9.6:2.4 was bioconjugated with type I collagen for the purpose of biocompatibility enhancement. In-vitro cytotoxicity

  7. Biomimetic hydrogels for biosensor implant biocompatibility: electrochemical characterization using micro-disc electrode arrays (MDEAs).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Justin, Gusphyl; Finley, Stephen; Abdur Rahman, Abdur Rub; Guiseppi-Elie, Anthony

    2009-02-01

    Our interest is in the development of engineered microdevices for continuous remote monitoring of intramuscular lactate, glucose, pH and temperature during post-traumatic hemorrhaging. Two important design considerations in the development of such devices for in vivo diagnostics are discussed; the utility of micro-disc electrode arrays (MDEAs) for electrochemical biosensing and the application of biomimetic, bioactive poly(HEMA)-based hydrogel composites for implant biocompatibility. A poly(HEMA)-based hydrogel membrane containing polyethylene glycol (PEG) was UV cross-linked with tetraethyleneglycol diacrylate following application to MDEAs (50 mum discs) and to 250 mum diameter gold electrodes within 8-well culture ware. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) of the MDEAs revealed a reduction in the apparent diffusion coefficient of ferrocenemonocarboxylic acid (FcCO(2)H), from 6.68 x 10(-5) to 6.74 x 10(-6) cm(2)/s for the uncoated and 6 mum thick hydrogel coated devices, respectively. Single frequency (4 kHz) temporal impedance measurements of the hydrogels in the 8-well culture ware showed a reversible 5% change in the absolute impedance of the hydrogels when exposed to a pH change between 6.1 to 7.2 and a 20% drop between pH 6.1 and 8.8.

  8. [Mechanoelectric potentials in synthetic hydrogels: possible relation to cytoskeleton].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shkliar, T F; Safronov, A P; Toropova, O A; Pollack, G N; Bliakhman, F A

    2010-01-01

    Mechanical and electrical properties of a synthetic polyelectrolyte hydrogel considered as a model of the cytoskeletal gel were studied. Hydrogels were synthesized from polymethacrylic acid by radical polymerization in aqueous solution. The electrical charge was introduced into the gel network by partial neutralization of monomer acids with magnesium (hydro)oxides. Through the use of a motor, triangular longitudinal (axial) deformations were applied to gel samples. Simultaneously, the electrochemical (Donnan) potential of the gel was measured using conventional microelectrodes. We found that: (1) the Young modulus of the gel was 0.53 kPa; (2) at a given deformation velocity, the extent of gel deformation closely correlates with the gel potential; and (3) at the same level of gel deformation, the lower the deformation velocity, the higher the relative change of gel potential. These findings show a striking similarity to the data obtained in living cells, particularly in cardiac myocytes. A hypothesis involving the deformation-induced solvent migration from the gel to the surrounding solution is considered. It is concluded that the physicochemical features of the cytoskeletal gel may play a role in determining the mechanoelectric properties of excited cells.

  9. Hybrid hydrogels produced by ionizing radiation technique

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Oliveira, M.J.A.; Amato, V.S.; Lugão, A.B.; Parra, D.F.

    2012-01-01

    The interest in biocompatible hydrogels with particular properties has increased considerably in recent years due to their versatile applications in biomedicine, biotechnology, pharmacy, agriculture and controlled release of drugs. The use of hydrogels matrices for particular drug-release applications has been investigated with the synthesis of modified polymeric hydrogel of PVAl and 0.5, 1.0, 1.5% nano-clay. They were processed using gamma radiation from Cobalt-60 source at 25 kGy dose. The characterization of the hydrogels was conducted and toxicity was evaluated. The dried hydrogel was analyzed for thermogravimetry analysis (TGA), infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and swelling in solutions of different pH. The membranes have no toxicity. The nano-clay influences directly the equilibrium swelling. - Highlights: ► Chemical interaction is observed when nanoclay is irradiated in PVAl hybrid hydrogels. ► Osmotic pressure within network promotes the rehydration capacity of the membranes. ► This effect is an important characteristic for hydrogels drug delivery systems.

  10. 3D-Printable Bioactivated Nanocellulose-Alginate Hydrogels.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Leppiniemi, Jenni; Lahtinen, Panu; Paajanen, Antti; Mahlberg, Riitta; Metsä-Kortelainen, Sini; Pinomaa, Tatu; Pajari, Heikki; Vikholm-Lundin, Inger; Pursula, Pekka; Hytönen, Vesa P

    2017-07-05

    We describe herein a nanocellulose-alginate hydrogel suitable for 3D printing. The composition of the hydrogel was optimized based on material characterization methods and 3D printing experiments, and its behavior during the printing process was studied using computational fluid dynamics simulations. The hydrogel was biofunctionalized by the covalent coupling of an enhanced avidin protein to the cellulose nanofibrils. Ionic cross-linking of the hydrogel using calcium ions improved the performance of the material. The resulting hydrogel is suitable for 3D printing, its mechanical properties indicate good tissue compatibility, and the hydrogel absorbs water in moist conditions, suggesting potential in applications such as wound dressings. The biofunctionalization potential was shown by attaching a biotinylated fluorescent protein and a biotinylated fluorescent small molecule via avidin and monitoring the material using confocal microscopy. The 3D-printable bioactivated nanocellulose-alginate hydrogel offers a platform for the development of biomedical devices, wearable sensors, and drug-releasing materials.

  11. Thermoresponsive chitosan-agarose hydrogel for skin regeneration.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Miguel, Sónia P; Ribeiro, Maximiano P; Brancal, Hugo; Coutinho, Paula; Correia, Ilídio J

    2014-10-13

    Healing enhancement and pain control are critical issues on wound management. So far, different wound dressings have been developed. Among them, hydrogels are the most applied. Herein, a thermoresponsive hydrogel was produced using chitosan (deacetylation degree 95%) and agarose. Hydrogel bactericidal activity, biocompatibility, morphology, porosity and wettability were characterized by confocal microscopy, MTS assay and SEM. The performance of the hydrogel in the wound healing process was evaluated through in vivo assays, during 21 days. The attained results revealed that hydrogel has a pore size (90-400 μm) compatible with cellular internalization and proliferation. A bactericidal activity was observed for hydrogels containing more than 188 μg/mL of chitosan. The improved healing and the lack of a reactive or a granulomatous inflammatory reaction in skin lesions treated with hydrogel demonstrate its suitability to be used in a near future as a wound dressing. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. PAMAM dendrimer hydrogel film—biocompatible material to an efficient dermal delivery of drugs

    Science.gov (United States)

    Magalhães, Thamiris Machado; Guerra, Rodrigo Cinti; San Gil, Rosane Aguiar da Silva; Valente, Ana Paula; Simão, Renata Antoun; Soares, Bluma Guenther; Mendes, Thamara de Carvalho; Pyrrho, Alexandre dos Santos; Sousa, Valeria Pereira de; Rodrigues-Furtado, Vanessa Lúcia

    2017-08-01

    We report the preparation, characterization, and drug release kinetics of a pH-responsive hydrogel film from a dendrimer megamer. The megamer (GP32) is a three-dimensional reticulated structure with a mean diameter of 71.16 nm (PDI 0.150) and was prepared by the reaction between Poly(amidoamine) generation4 (PAMAM G4) dendrimer and glutaraldehyde (G:P molar ratio 32). The crosslinking units in the megamer are provided mainly by the bicyclic dimer 2-hydroxy-3,4,4a,7,8,8a-hexahydro-2 H-chromene-6-carbaldehyde as determined by high-resolution (800 MHz) 1H NMR and FTIR. The hydrogel film (F[GP32]) is formed upon evaporation of a methanolic solution of the megamer and has a high degree of organization and homogeneity. Further crosslinking with glutaraldehyde (CLF[GP32]) enhanced the mechanical properties of the hydrogel film. The chemical constitution and unique megamer architecture enable the hydrogel film to carry both lipophilic and hydrophilic substances. The film did not cause any dermal irritation or clinical signs of toxicity in tests on rabbits, allowed for a sustained release of ketoprofen and played an important role in the process of drug delivery into the receptor medium. This performance taken together with the absence of toxicity makes this hydrogel film a good choice for dermal sustained drug release. [Figure not available: see fulltext.

  13. Thermal gelation and tissue adhesion of biomimetic hydrogels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Burke, Sean A; Ritter-Jones, Marsha; Lee, Bruce P; Messersmith, Phillip B

    2007-01-01

    Marine and freshwater mussels are notorious foulers of natural and manmade surfaces, secreting specialized protein adhesives for rapid and durable attachment to wet substrates. Given the strong and water-resistant nature of mussel adhesive proteins, significant potential exists for mimicking their adhesive characteristics in bioinspired synthetic polymer materials. An important component of these proteins is L-3,4-dihydroxylphenylalanine (DOPA), an amino acid believed to contribute to mussel glue solidification through oxidation and crosslinking reactions. Synthetic polymers containing DOPA residues have previously been shown to crosslink into hydrogels upon the introduction of oxidizing reagents. Here we introduce a strategy for stimuli responsive gel formation of mussel adhesive protein mimetic polymers. Lipid vesicles with a bilayer melting transition of 37 0 C were designed from a mixture of dipalmitoyl and dimyristoyl phosphatidylcholines and exploited for the release of a sequestered oxidizing reagent upon heating from ambient to physiologic temperature. Colorimetric studies indicated that sodium-periodate-loaded liposomes released their cargo at the phase transition temperature, and when used in conjunction with a DOPA-functionalized poly(ethylene glycol) polymer gave rise to rapid solidification of a crosslinked polymer hydrogel. The tissue adhesive properties of this biomimetic system were determined by in situ thermal gelation of liposome/polymer hydrogel between two porcine dermal tissue surfaces. Bond strength measurements showed that the bond formed by the adhesive hydrogel (mean = 35.1 kPa, SD = 12.5 kPa, n = 11) was several times stronger than a fibrin glue control tested under the same conditions. The results suggest a possible use of this biomimetic strategy for repair of soft tissues

  14. Poly-γ-Glutamic Acid Nanoparticles Based Visible Light-Curable Hydrogel for Biomedical Application

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    József Bakó

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Nanoparticles and hydrogels have gained notable attention as promising potential for fabrication of scaffolds and delivering materials. Visible light-curable systems can allow for the possibility of in situ fabrication and have the advantage of optimal applicability. In this study nanogel was created from methacrylated poly-gamma-glutamic acid nanoparticles by visible (dental blue light photopolymerization. The average size of the particles was 80 nm by DLS, and the NMR spectra showed that the methacrylation rate was 10%. Polymerization time was 3 minutes, and a stable nanogel with a swelling rate of 110% was formed. The mechanical parameters of the prepared structure (compression stress 0.73 MPa, and Young’s modulus 0.93 MPa can be as strong as necessary in a real situation, for example, in the mouth. A retaining effect of the nanogel was found for ampicillin, and the biocompatibility of this system was tested by Alamar Blue proliferation assay, while the cell morphology was examined by fluorescence and laser scanning confocal microscopy. In conclusion, the nanogel can be used for drug delivery, or it can be suitable for a control factor in different systems.

  15. Studies on radiation synthesis of polyethyleneimine/acrylamide hydrogels

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Francis, Sanju [ISOMED, Radiation Technology Development Section, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Trombay, Mumbai - 400 085 (India); Varshney, Lalit [ISOMED, Radiation Technology Development Section, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Trombay, Mumbai - 400 085 (India)]. E-mail: lalitv@magnum.barc.ernet.in; Tirumalesh, K. [Isotope Application Division, Bhabha Atomic Research Centre, Trombay, Mumbai - 400 085 (India)

    2006-07-15

    Polyethyleneimine(PEI)/acrylamide(AAM) hydrogels were synthesized by {gamma}-radiation-induced polymerization/crosslinking of aqueous mixtures containing different ratios of PEI and AAM. The gel percentage and equilibrium degree of swelling (EDS) of the synthesized hydrogels were investigated. The compositions of the hydrogels produced were found to be different from the feed composition. Ion-chromatography technique was used to determine the amount of Pb (II) and Cd (II) absorbed by the hydrogel. The maximum binding capacity of the PEI/AAM hydrogels, for Pb and Cd was found to be 19 and 12.6 mg/g, respectively (at 100 ppm). PEI/AAM hydrogels had better metal uptake efficiency than the pure AAM hydrogel at concentrations less than 50 ppm. Pure PEI was observed to be highly degrading type polymer on exposure to gamma radiation. TGA and FT-IR techniques were used to characterize the prepared hydrogels.

  16. PVA/Dextran hydrogel patches as delivery system of antioxidant astaxanthin: a cardiovascular approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zuluaga, M; Gregnanin, G; Cencetti, C; Di Meo, C; Gueguen, V; Letourneur, D; Meddahi-Pellé, A; Pavon-Djavid, G; Matricardi, P

    2017-12-28

    After myocardial infarction, the heart's mechanical properties and its intrinsic capability to recover are compromised. To improve this recovery, several groups have developed cardiac patches based on different biomaterials strategies. Here, we developed polyvinylalcohol/dextran (PVA/Dex) elastic hydrogel patches, obtained through the freeze thawing (FT) process, with the aim to deliver locally a potent natural antioxidant molecule, astaxanthin, and to assist the heart's response against the generated myofibril stress. Extensive rheological and dynamo-mechanical characterization of the effect of the PVA molecular weight, number of freeze-thawing cycles and Dex addition on the mechanical properties of the resulting hydrogels, were carried out. Hydrogel systems based on PVA 145 kDa and PVA 47 kDa blended with Dex 40 kDa, were chosen as the most promising candidates for this application. In order to improve astaxanthin solubility, an inclusion system using hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin was prepared. This system was posteriorly loaded within the PVA/Dex hydrogels. PVA145/Dex 1FT and PVA47/Dex 3FT showed the best rheological and mechanical properties when compared to the other studied systems; environmental scanning electron microscope and confocal imaging evidenced a porous structure of the hydrogels allowing astaxanthin release. In vitro cellular behavior was analyzed after 24 h of contact with astaxanthin-loaded hydrogels. In vivo subcutaneous biocompatibility was performed in rats using PVA145/Dex 1FT, as the best compromise between mechanical support and astaxanthin delivery. Finally, ex vivo and in vivo experiments showed good mechanical and compatibility properties of this hydrogel. The obtained results showed that the studied materials have a potential to be used as myocardial patches to assist infarcted heart mechanical function and to reduce oxidative stress by the in situ release of astaxanthin.

  17. Novel Hydrogels from Renewable Resources

    Science.gov (United States)

    Karaaslan, Muzafer Ahmet

    2011-12-01

    The cell wall of most plant biomass from forest and agricultural resources consists of three major polymers, cellulose, hemicellulose and lignin. Of these, hemicelluloses have gained increasing attention as sustainable raw materials. In the first part of this study, novel pH-sensitive semi-IPN hydrogels based on hemicelluloses and chitosan were prepared using glutaraldehyde as the crosslinking agent. The hemicellulose isolated from aspen was analyzed for sugar content by HPLC, and its molecular weight distribution was determined by high performance size exclusion chromatography. Results revealed that hemicellulose had a broad molecular weight distribution with a fair amount of polymeric units, together with xylose, arabinose and glucose. The effect of hemicellulose content on mechanical properties and swelling behavior of hydrogels were investigated. The semi-IPNs hydrogel structure was confirmed by FT-IR, X-ray study and ninhydrin assay method. X-ray analysis showed that higher hemicellulose contents yielded higher crystallinity. Mechanical properties were mainly dependent on the crosslink density and average molecular weight between crosslinks. Swelling ratios increased with increasing hemicellulose content and were high at low pH values due to repulsion between similarly charged groups. In vitro release study of a model drug showed that these semi-IPN hydrogels could be used for controlled drug delivery into gastric fluid. The aim of the second part of this study was to control the crosslink density and the mechanical properties of hemicellulose/chitosan semi-IPN hydrogels by changing the crosslinking sequence. It has been hypothesized that by performing the crosslinking step before introducing hemicellulose, covalent crosslinking of chitosan would not be hindered and therefore more and/or shorter crosslinks could be formed. Furthermore, additional secondary interactions and crystalline domains introduced through hemicellulose could be favorable in terms of

  18. In vivo biocompatibility of p(HPMAm-lac)-PEG hydrogels hybridized with hyaluronan

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Sabbieti, Maria Giovanna; Dubbini, Alessandra; Laus, Fulvio; Paggi, Emanuele; Marchegiani, Andrea; Capitani, Melania; Marchetti, Luigi; Dini, Fabrizio; Vermonden, Tina; Di Martino, Piera; Agas, Dimitrios; Censi, Roberta

    2017-01-01

    The present study reports on the biocompatibility in vivo after intramuscular and subcutaneous administration in Balb/c mice of vinyl sulphone bearing p(HPMAm-lac1-2)-PEG-p(HPMAm-lac1-2)/thiolated hyaluronic acid hydrogels, designed as novel injectable biomaterials for potential application in the

  19. Development of honey hydrogel dressing for enhanced wound healing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yusof, Norimah; Ainul Hafiza, A.H.; Zohdi, Rozaini M.; Bakar, Md Zuki A.

    2007-01-01

    Radiation at 25 and 50 kGy showed no effect on the acidic pH of the local honey, Gelam, and its antimicrobial property against Staphylococcus aureus but significantly reduced the viscosity. Honey stored up to 2 years at room temperature retained all the properties studied. Radiation sterilized Gelam honey significantly stimulated the rate of burn wound healing in Sprague-Dawley rats as demonstrated by the increased rate of wound contraction and gross appearance. Gelam honey attenuates wound inflammation; and re-epithelialization was well advanced compared to the treatment using silver sulphadiazine (SSD) cream. To enhance further the use of honey in wound treatment and for easy handling, Gelam honey was incorporated into our hydrogel dressing formulation, which was then cross-linked and sterilized using electron beam at 25 kGy. Hydrogel with 6% of honey was selected based on the physical appearance

  20. Immobilization of yeast cells with ionic hydrogel carriers by adhesion-multiplication.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhaoxin, L; Fujimura, T

    2000-12-01

    The mixture of an ionic monomer, 2-acrylamido 2-methylpropanesulfonic acid (TBAS), and a series of poly(ethylene glycol) dimethacrylate (nG) monomers were copolymerized with 60Co gamma-rays, and the produced ionic hydrogel polymers were used for immobilization of yeast cells. The cells were adhered onto the surface of the hydrogel polymers and intruded into the interior of the polymers with growing. The immobilized yeast cells with these hydrogel polymers had higher ethanol productivity than that of free cells. The yield of ethanol with poly(TBAS-14G) carrier was the highest and increased by 3.5 times compared to the free cells. It was found that the ethanol yield increased with the increase of glycol number in poly(ethylene glycol) dimethacrylate. The state of the immobilized cells was observed with microscope, and it was also found that the difference in the ethanol productivity is mainly due to the difference in the internal structure and properties of polymer carrier, such as surface charge, hydrophilicity, and swelling ability of polymer carrier.

  1. Electromechanical response of silk fibroin hydrogel and conductive polycarbazole/silk fibroin hydrogel composites as actuator material.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Srisawasdi, Thanida; Petcharoen, Karat; Sirivat, Anuvat; Jamieson, Alexander M

    2015-11-01

    Pure silk fibroin (SF) hydrogel and polycarbazole/silk fibroin (SF/PCZ) hydrogels were fabricated by solvent casting technique to evaluate electromechanical responses, dielectric properties, and cantilever deflection properties as functions of electric field strength, SF concentration, glutaraldehyde concentration, and PCZ concentration in the blends. Electromechanical properties were characterized in oscillatory shear mode at electric field strengths ranging from 0 to 600V/mm and at a temperature of 27°C. For both the pristine SF and SF/PCZ hydrogels, the storage modulus response (ΔG') and the storage modulus sensitivity (ΔG'/G'0) increased dramatically with increasing electric field strength. The pristine hydrogel possessed the highest storage modulus sensitivity value of 5.87, a relatively high value when compared with other previously studied electroactive polymers. With the addition of conductive PCZ in SF hydrogel, the storage modulus sensitivity and the relative dielectric constant decreased; the conductive polymer thus provided the softening effect under electric field. In the deflection response, the dielectrophoresis force and deflection distance increased monotonically with electric field strength, where the pure SF hydrogel showed the highest deflection distance and dielectrophoresis force. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  2. Sustained release of intravitreal flurbiprofen from a novel drug-in-liposome-in-hydrogel formulation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pachis, K; Blazaki, S; Tzatzarakis, M; Klepetsanis, P; Naoumidi, E; Tsilimbaris, M; Antimisiaris, S G

    2017-11-15

    A novel Flurbiprofen (FLB)-in-liposome-in-hydrogel formulation was developed, as a method to sustain the release and increase the ocular bioavailability of FLB following intravitreal injection. For this, FLB loading into liposomes was optimized and liposomes were entrapped in thermosensitive hydrogels consisted of Pluronic F-127 (P). FLB solution, liposomes, and FLB dissolved in hydrogel were also used as control formulations. Actively loaded liposomes were found to be optimal for high FLB loading and small size, while in vitro studies revealed that P concentration of 18% (w/v) was best to retain the integrity of the hydrogel-dispersed liposome, compared to a 20% concentration. The in vitro release of FLB was significantly sustained when FLB-liposomes were dispersed in the hydrogel compared to hydrogel dissolved FLB, as well as the other control formulations. In vivo studies were carried out in pigmented rabbits which were injected through a 27G needle with 1mg/mL FLB in the different formulation-types. Ophthalmic examinations after intravitreal injection of all FLB formulations, revealed no evidence of inflammation, hemorrhage, uveitis or endophthalmitis. Pharmacokinetic analysis results confirm that the hybrid drug delivery system increases the bioavailability (by 1.9 times compared to solution), and extends the presence of the drug in the vitreous cavity, while liposome and hydrogel formulations demonstrate intermediate performance. Furthermore the hybrid system increases MRT of FLB in aqueous humor and retina/choroid tissues, compared to all the control formulations. Currently the potential therapeutic advances of FLB sustained release formulations for IVT administration are being evaluated. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  3. Polypeptide based hydrogels

    OpenAIRE

    Hanay, Saltuk

    2018-01-01

    There is a need for biocompatible, biodegradable, 3-D printable and stable hydrogels especially in the areas of tissue engineering, drug delivery, bio-sensing technologies and antimicrobial coatings. The main aim of this Ph.D. work was to fabricate polypeptide based hydrogel which may find a potential application in those fields. Focusing on tyrosine or tryptophan-containing copolypeptides prepared by NCarboxyanhydride (NCA) polymerizations, three different crosslinking strategies have been t...

  4. Formulation Changes Affect Material Properties and Cell Behavior in HA-Based Hydrogels

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Thomas Lawyer

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available To develop and optimize new scaffold materials for tissue engineering applications, it is important to understand how changes to the scaffold affect the cells that will interact with that scaffold. In this study, we used a hyaluronic acid- (HA- based hydrogel as a synthetic extracellular matrix, containing modified HA (CMHA-S, modified gelatin (Gtn-S, and a crosslinker (PEGda. By varying the concentrations of these components, we were able to change the gelation time, enzymatic degradation, and compressive modulus of the hydrogel. These changes also affected fibroblast spreading within the hydrogels and differentially affected the proliferation and metabolic activity of fibroblasts and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs. In particular, PEGda concentration had the greatest influence on gelation time, compressive modulus, and cell spreading. MSCs appeared to require a longer period of adjustment to the new microenvironment of the hydrogels than fibroblasts. Fibroblasts were able to proliferate in all formulations over the course of two weeks, but MSCs did not. Metabolic activity changed for each cell type during the two weeks depending on the formulation. These results highlight the importance of determining the effect of matrix composition changes on a particular cell type of interest in order to optimize the formulation for a given application.

  5. Non-monotonic swelling of surface grafted hydrogels induced by pH and/or salt concentration

    Science.gov (United States)

    Longo, Gabriel S.; Olvera de la Cruz, Monica; Szleifer, I.

    2014-09-01

    We use a molecular theory to study the thermodynamics of a weak-polyacid hydrogel film that is chemically grafted to a solid surface. We investigate the response of the material to changes in the pH and salt concentration of the buffer solution. Our results show that the pH-triggered swelling of the hydrogel film has a non-monotonic dependence on the acidity of the bath solution. At most salt concentrations, the thickness of the hydrogel film presents a maximum when the pH of the solution is increased from acidic values. The quantitative details of such swelling behavior, which is not observed when the film is physically deposited on the surface, depend on the molecular architecture of the polymer network. This swelling-deswelling transition is the consequence of the complex interplay between the chemical free energy (acid-base equilibrium), the electrostatic repulsions between charged monomers, which are both modulated by the absorption of ions, and the ability of the polymer network to regulate charge and control its volume (molecular organization). In the absence of such competition, for example, for high salt concentrations, the film swells monotonically with increasing pH. A deswelling-swelling transition is similarly predicted as a function of the salt concentration at intermediate pH values. This reentrant behavior, which is due to the coupling between charge regulation and the two opposing effects triggered by salt concentration (screening electrostatic interactions and charging/discharging the acid groups), is similar to that found in end-grafted weak polyelectrolyte layers. Understanding how to control the response of the material to different stimuli, in terms of its molecular structure and local chemical composition, can help the targeted design of applications with extended functionality. We describe the response of the material to an applied pressure and an electric potential. We present profiles that outline the local chemical composition of the

  6. Survival of cord blood haematopoietic stem cells in a hyaluronan hydrogel for ex vivo biomimicry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Demange, Elise; Kassim, Yusra; Petit, Cyrille; Buquet, Catherine; Dulong, Virginie; Cerf, Didier Le; Buchonnet, Gérard; Vannier, Jean-Pierre

    2013-11-01

    Haematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) and haematopoietic progenitor cells (HPCs) grow in a specified niche in close association with the microenvironment, the so-called 'haematopoietic niche'. Scaffolds have been introduced to overcome the liquid culture limitations, mimicking the presence of the extracellular matrix (ECM). In the present study the hyaluronic acid scaffold, already developed in the laboratory, has been used for the first time to maintain long-term cultures of CD34⁺ haematopoietic cells obtained from human cord blood. One parameter investigated was the impact on ex vivo survival of CD34⁺ cord blood cells (CBCs) on the hyaluronic acid surface, immobilized with peptides containing the RGD motif. This peptide was conjugated by coating the hyaluronan hydrogel and cultured in serum-free liquid phase complemented with stem cell factor (SCF), a commonly indispensable cytokine for haematopoiesis. Our work demonstrated that these hyaluronan hydrogels were superior to traditional liquid cultures by maintaining and expanding the HPCs without the need for additional cytokines, and a colonization of 280-fold increment in the hydrogel compared with liquid culture after 28 days of ex vivo expansion. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  7. On the Interaction between Superabsorbent Hydrogels and Cementitious Materials

    Science.gov (United States)

    Farzanian, Khashayar

    Autogenous shrinkage induced cracking is a major concern in high performance concretes (HPC), which are produced with low water to cement ratios. Internal curing to maintain high relative humidity in HPC with the use of an internal water reservoir has proven effective in mitigating autogenous shrinkage in HPC. Superabsorbent polymers (SAP) or hydrogels have received increasing attention as an internal curing agent in recent years. A key advantage of SAP is its versatility in size distribution and absorption/desorption characteristics, which allow it to be adapted to specific mix designs. Understanding the behavior of superabsorbent hydrogels in cementitious materials is critical for accurate design of internal curing. The primary goal of this study is to fundamentally understand the interaction between superabsorbent hydrogels and cementitious materials. In the first step, the effect of chemical and mechanical conditions on the absorption of hydrogels is investigated. In the second step, the desorption of hydrogels in contact with porous cementitious materials is examined to aid in understanding the mechanisms of water release from superabsorbent hydrogels (SAP) into cementitious materials. The dependence of hydrogel desorption on the microstructure of cementitious materials and relative humidity is studied. It is shown that the capillary forces developed at the interface between the hydrogel and cementitious materials increased the desorption of the hydrogels. The size of hydrogels is shown to influence desorption, beyond the known size dependence of bulk diffusion, through debonding from the cementitious matrix, thereby decreasing the effect of the Laplace pressure on desorption. In the third step, the desorption of hydrogels synthesized with varied chemical compositions in cementitious materials are investigated. The absorption, chemical structure and mechanical response of hydrogels swollen in a cement mixture are studied. The effect of the capillary forces on

  8. pH-responsive self-healing injectable hydrogel based on N-carboxyethyl chitosan for hepatocellular carcinoma therapy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Qu, Jin; Zhao, Xin; Ma, Peter X; Guo, Baolin

    2017-08-01

    Injectable hydrogels with pH-responsiveness and self-healing ability have great potential for anti-cancer drug delivery. Herein, we developed a series of polysaccharide-based self-healing hydrogels with pH-sensitivity as drug delivery vehicles for hepatocellular carcinoma therapy. The hydrogels were prepared by using N-carboxyethyl chitosan (CEC) synthesized via Michael reaction in aqueous solution and dibenzaldehyde-terminated poly(ethylene glycol) (PEGDA). Doxorubicin (Dox), as a model of water-soluble small molecule anti-cancer drug was encapsulated into the hydrogel in situ. Self-healing behavior of the hydrogels was investigated at microscopic and macroscopic levels, and the hydrogels showed rapid self-healing performance without any external stimulus owing to the dynamic covalent Schiff-base linkage between amine groups from CEC and benzaldehyde groups from PEGDA. The chemical structures, rheological property, in vitro gel degradation, morphology, gelation time and in vitro Dox release behavior from the hydrogels were characterized. Injectability was verified by in vitro injection and in vivo subcutaneous injection in a rat. pH-responsive behavior was verified by in vitro Dox release from hydrogels in PBS solutions with different pH values. Furthermore, the activity of Dox released from hydrogel matrix was evaluated by employing human hepatocellular liver carcinoma (HepG2). Cytotoxicity test of the hydrogels using L929 cells confirmed their good cytocompatibility. Together, these pH-responsive self-healing injectable hydrogels are excellent candidates as drug delivery vehicles for liver cancer treatment. STATEMENT OF SIGNIFICANCE: pH-responsive drug delivery system could release drug efficiently in targeted acid environment and minimalize the amount of drug release in normal physiological environment. pH-sensitive injectable hydrogels as smart anti-cancer drug delivery carriers show great potential application for cancer therapy. The hydrogels with self

  9. Rapidly photo-cross-linkable chitosan hydrogel for peripheral neurosurgeries.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rickett, Todd A; Amoozgar, Zohreh; Tuchek, Chad A; Park, Joonyoung; Yeo, Yoon; Shi, Riyi

    2011-01-10

    Restoring continuity to severed peripheral nerves is crucial to regeneration and enables functional recovery. However, the two most common agents for coaptation, sutures and fibrin glues, have drawbacks such as inflammation, pathogenesis, and dehiscence. Chitosan-based adhesives are a promising alternative, reported to have good cytocompatibility and favorable immunogenicity. A photo-cross-linkable hydrogel based on chitosan is proposed as a new adhesive for peripheral nerve anastomosis. Two Az-chitosans were synthesized by conjugating 4-azidobenzoic acid with low (LMW, 15 kDa) and high (HMW, 50-190 kDa) molecular weight chitosans. These solutions formed a hydrogel in less than 1 min under UV light. The LMW Az-chitosan was more tightly cross-linked than the HMW variant, undergoing significantly less swelling and possessing a higher rheological storage modulus, and both Az-chitosan gels were stiffer than commercial fibrin glue. Severed nerves repaired by Az-chitosan adhesives tolerated longitudinal forces comparable or superior to fibrin glue. Adhesive exposure to intact nerves and neural cell culture showed both Az-chitosans to be nontoxic in the acute (minutes) and chronic (days) time frames. These results demonstrate that Az-chitosan hydrogels are cytocompatible and mechanically suitable for use as bioadhesives in peripheral neurosurgeries.

  10. A potential bioactive wound dressing based on carboxymethyl cellulose/ZnO impregnated MCM-41 nanocomposite hydrogel.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rakhshaei, Rasul; Namazi, Hassan

    2017-04-01

    Lack of antibacterial activity, deficient water vapor and oxygen permeability, and insufficient mechanical properties are disadvantages of existing wound dressings. Hydrogels could absorb wound exudates due to their strong swelling ratio and give a cooling sensation and a wet environment. To overcome these shortcomings, flexible nanocomposite hydrogel films was prepared through combination of zinc oxide impregnated mesoporous silica (ZnO-MCM-41) as a nano drug carrier with carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) hydrogel. Citric acid was used as cross linker to avoid the cytotoxicity of conventional cross linkers. The prepared nanocomposite hydrogel was characterized using X-ray diffractometry (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Zeta potential and UV-vis spectroscopy. Results of swelling and erosion tests showed CMC/ZnO nanocomposite hydrogel disintegrated during the first hours of the test. Using MCM-41 as a substrate for ZnO nanoparticles solved this problem and the CMC/ZnO-MCM-41 showed a great improvement in tensile strength (12%), swelling (100%), erosion (53%) and gas permeability (500%) properties. Drug delivery and antibacterial properties of the nanocomposite hydrogel films studied using tetracycline (TC) as a broad spectrum antibiotic and showed a sustained TC release. This could efficiently decrease bandage exchange. Cytocompatibility of the nanocomposite hydrogel films has been analyzed in adipose tissue-derived stem cells (ADSCs) and results showed cytocompatibility of CMC/ZnO-MCM-41. Based on these results the prepared CMC nanocomposite hydrogel containing ZnO impregnated MCM-41, could serve as a kind of promising wound dressing with sustained drug delivery properties. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  11. Dehydration-rehydration behaviour of zirconium hydroxide and aluminium hydroxide coprecipitated hydrogel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mitra, N.K.; Guha, P.; Basumajumdar, A.

    1989-01-01

    Equilibrium dehydration loss experiments on zirconium and aluminium hydroxide coprecipitated hyrogels were carried out up to 600deg and the above heat treated samples were subjected to rehydration at various humidities in order to study the structural flexibilties of the above hydrogel with respect to orientation of water molecules. (author). 6 refs., 3 tabs

  12. Preparation of RGO/Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4}/poly (acrylic acid) hydrogel nanocomposites with improved magnetic, thermal and electrochemical properties

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Didehban, K.H., E-mail: Didehban95@gmail.com; Mohammadi, L.; Azimvand, J.

    2017-07-01

    A hydrogel nanocomposite composed of reduced graphene oxide (RGO), iron oxide (Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4}) nanoparticles, and polyacrylic acid (PAA) was prepared using radical polymerization. Different percentages of RGO, Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4}, and PAA were used to prepare the nanocomposite. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) results confirmed the formation of the nanocomposite’s chemical structure. X-ray power diffraction (XRD) patterns revealed the principal peak’s 2θ value to be 77.39° with the size of the nanocomposite particles estimated at 96 nm. Results indicated that the electrochemical capacity of the nanocomposites was controlled by the weight percentage of RGO. Increases to the potential scan rate reduced porosity and surface area, thereby decreasing the electrochemical capacity of the nanocomposites. Moreover, increasing the percentage of Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4} nanoparticles in the nanocomposites improved their magnetic characteristics and thermal properties. The latter also improved when the RGO percentage increased. - Highlights: • A hydrogel nanocomposite composed of RGO/Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4}/PAA was synthesized successfully. • Increasing the percentage of iron nanoparticles improved magnetic properties. • Increasing the percentage of RGO improved thermal and electrochemical capacity. • The Fe{sub 3}O{sub 4} nanoparticles directly affected magnetic properties.

  13. Hydrogels as scaffolds and delivery systems to enhance axonal regeneration after injuries

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Oscar A. Carballo-Molina

    2015-02-01

    Full Text Available Damage caused to neural tissue by disease or injury frequently produces a discontinuity in the nervous system. Such damage generates diverse alterations that are commonly permanent, due to the limited regeneration capacity of the adult nervous system, particularly the Central Nervous System (CNS. The cellular reaction to noxious stimulus leads to several events such as the formation of glial and fibrous scars, which inhibit axonal regeneration in both the CNS and the Peripheral Nervous System (PNS. Although in the PNS there is some degree of nerve regeneration, it is common that the growing axons reinnervate incorrect areas, causing mismatches. Providing a permissive substrate for axonal regeneration in combination with delivery systems for the release of molecules, which enhances axonal growth, could increase regeneration and the recovery of functions in the CNS or the PNS. Currently, there are no effective vehicles to supply growth factors or cells to the damaged/diseased nervous system. Hydrogels are polymers that are biodegradable, biocompatible and have the capacity to deliver a large range of molecules in situ. The inclusion of cultured neural cells into hydrogels forming three-dimensional structures allows the formation of synapses and neuronal survival. There is also evidence showing that hydrogels constitute an amenable substrate for axonal growth of endogenous or grafted cells, overcoming the presence of axonal regeneration inhibitory molecules, in both the central and peripheral nervous systems. Recent experiments suggest that hydrogels can carry and deliver several proteins relevant for improving neuronal survival and axonal growth. Although the use of hydrogels is appealing, its effectiveness is still a matter of discussion, and more results are needed to achieve consistent recovery using different parameters. This review also discusses areas of opportunity where hydrogels can be applied, in order to promote axonal regeneration of

  14. Swelling properties of cassava starch grafted with poly (potassium acrylate-co-acrylamide) superabsorbent hydrogel prepared by ionizing radiation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barleany, Dhena Ria; Ulfiyani, Fida; Istiqomah, Shafina; Heriyanto, Heri; Rahmayetty, Erizal

    2015-12-01

    Natural and synthetic hydrophylic polymers can be phisically or chemically cross-linked in order to produce hydrogels. Starch based hydrogels grafted with copolymers from acrylic acid or acrylamide have become very popular for water absorbent application. Superabsorbent hydrogels made from Cassava starch grafted with poly (potassium acrylate-co-acrylamide) were prepared by using of ϒ-irradiation method. Various important parameters such as irradiation doses, monomer to Cassava starch ratio and acrylamide content were investigated. The addition of 7,5 % w w-1 acrylamide into the reaction mixture generated a starch graft copolymer with a water absorption in distilled water as high as 460 g g-1 of its dried weight. The effectivity of hydrogel as superabsorbent for aqueous solutions of NaCl and urea was evaluated. The obtained hydrogel showed the maximum absorptions of 317 g g-1 and 523 g g-1 for NaCl and urea solution, respectively (relative to its own dry weight). The structure of the graft copolymer was analyzed by using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM).

  15. Thermo-responsive in-situ forming hydrogels as barriers to prevent post-operative peritendinous adhesion.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chou, Pang-Yun; Chen, Shih-Heng; Chen, Chih-Hao; Chen, Shih-Hsien; Fong, Yi Teng; Chen, Jyh-Ping

    2017-11-01

    In this study, we aimed to assess whether thermo-responsive in-situ forming hydrogels based on poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) could prevent post-operative peritendinous adhesion. The clinical advantages of the thermo-responsive hydrogels are acting as barrier material to block penetration of fibroblasts, providing mobility and flexibility during application and enabling injection through a small opening to fill spaces of any shape after surgery. The thermo-responsiveness of hydrogels was determined to ensure their clinic uses. By grafting hydrophilic biopolymers chitosan (CS) and hyaluronic acid (HA) to PNIPAM, the copolymer hydrogels show enhanced water retention and lubrication, while reduced volume shrinkage during phase transition. In cell culture experiments, the thermo-responsive hydrogel has good biocompatibility and reduces fibroblast penetration. In animal experiments, the effectiveness of preventing post-operative peritendinous adhesion was studied in a rabbit deep flexor tendon model. From gross examination, histology, bending angles of joints, tendon gliding excursion and pull-out force, HA-CS-PNIPAM (HACPN) was confirmed to be the best barrier material to prevent post-operative peritendinous adhesion compared to PNIPAM and CS-PNIPAM (CPN) hydrogels and a commercial barrier film Seprafilm®. There was no significant difference in the breaking strength of HACPN-treated tendons and spontaneously healed ones, indicating HACPN hydrogel application did not interfere with normal tendon healing. We conclude that HACPN hydrogel can provide the best functional outcomes to significantly prevent post-operative tendon adhesion in vivo. We prepared thermo-responsive in-situ forming hydrogels based on poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) to prevent post-operative peritendinous adhesion. The injectable barrier hydrogel could have better anti-adhesive properties than current commercial products by acting as barrier material to block penetration of fibroblasts

  16. Synthesis Of Copoly (2-Hydroxy Ethyl Methacrylate/N-Vinyl Pirrolidone) Hydrogel By Gamma Irradiation And Immobilization Of Ametryne

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Erizal

    2002-01-01

    The synthesis of copoly (2-hydroxy ethyl methacrylate/N-vinyl pirrolidone) hydrogel has been carried out. The 2-hydroxy ethyl methacrylate (HEMA) solution with the concentrations of 40, 50, and 60 % v/v were respectively mixed with N-vinyl pirrolidone (NVP) at a concentration of 5 % v/v with composition of 4:1, homogenized, and bubbled with N 2 .The samples were irradiated by gamma rays at a doses of 5 kGy (dose rate 7.5 kGy/h). The parameters were observed the effect of time soaking (0-32 hours) and temperatures (10-60 oC ) of the hydrogels, the ability of hydrogels to absorb water, the ability of hydrogels for immobilization and released of ametryne and its effects on the kiambang growth. After evaluation, with increasing the concentration of HEMA ( NVP constant), the water absorption and the amount of ametryne released decreased, relatively. With increasing the temperature up to 60 oC and the concentrations of HEMA, the water absorption decreased. The amount of ametryne released from hydrogel affect the growth of kiambang

  17. Arct'Alg release from hydrogel membranes

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Amaral, Renata H.; Rogero, Sizue O.; Shihomatsu, Helena M.; Lugao, Ademar B.

    2009-01-01

    The hydrogel properties make them attractive for a variety of biomedical and pharmaceutical applications, primarily in drug delivery system. Synthetic hydrogels have been studied to develop new devices for drugs or cosmetic active agents release. Arct'Alg R is an extract derived from red algae biomass which has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and tissue regeneration stimulant properties. This extract was incorporated to poly(N-vinyl pyrrolidone) (PVP) and poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) hydrogel membranes obtained by gamma rays crosslinking technique. The ionizing radiation presents the advantage to occur polymerization and sterilization simultaneously in the same process. The aim of this work was the in vitro release kinetic study of Arct'Alg R from hydrogel membranes during 24 hours to verify the possibility of use in cosmetic and dermatological treatments. Results showed that about 50% and 30% of incorporated Arct'Alg R was released from PVP and PVA hydrogel membrane devices respectively. (author)

  18. Radiation synthesis and characterization of thermo-sensitive PNIPA/clay hydrogels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Song Hongyan; He Suqin; Liu Wentao; Zhu Chengshen; Yang Mingcheng

    2007-01-01

    In this work, the thermo-sensitive hydrogels of PNIPA/Clay were synthesized by 60 Co-γ rays irradiation. The effects of organically modified clay and Na + clay, clay content, and dispersing condition on swelling behavior of PNIPA/clay hydrogels were investigated. The results showed that the equilibrium swelling ratio (SR) of the PNIPA/clay hydrogels is better than PNIPA, and the SR of PNIPA/organically modified clay hydrogels is the highest. With clay content increases, the SR of hydrogels became better. The deswelling behavior of hydrogel was improved, the deswelling ratio of the hydrogel with organically modified clay is highest, and ratio of losing water is 83%, while PNIPA is about 50%. The compressive properties of hydrogel composites were also examined. The results showed that the compressive properties of the PNIPA/clay hydrogels were improved distinctly than that of the conventional hydrogels without clay. And with increasing of clay content, the compressive properties of hydrogel composites improve rapidly. When the content of clay is 15%, the maximum compression force of the PNIPA/clay hydrogel is 5.28N, which is 14 times of PNIPA hydrogel and compression strength is 2.5 times. (authors)

  19. Hybrid hydrogels produced by ionizing radiation technique

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oliveira, M. J. A.; Amato, V. S.; Lugão, A. B.; Parra, D. F.

    2012-09-01

    The interest in biocompatible hydrogels with particular properties has increased considerably in recent years due to their versatile applications in biomedicine, biotechnology, pharmacy, agriculture and controlled release of drugs. The use of hydrogels matrices for particular drug-release applications has been investigated with the synthesis of modified polymeric hydrogel of PVAl and 0.5, 1.0, 1.5% nano-clay. They were processed using gamma radiation from Cobalt-60 source at 25 kGy dose. The characterization of the hydrogels was conducted and toxicity was evaluated. The dried hydrogel was analyzed for thermogravimetry analysis (TGA), infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and swelling in solutions of different pH. The membranes have no toxicity. The nano-clay influences directly the equilibrium swelling.

  20. Multi-scale Multi-mechanism Toughening of Hydrogels

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Xuanhe

    Hydrogels are widely used as scaffolds for tissue engineering, vehicles for drug delivery, actuators for optics and fluidics, and model extracellular matrices for biological studies. The scope of hydrogel applications, however, is often severely limited by their mechanical properties. Inspired by the mechanics and hierarchical structures of tough biological tissues, we propose that a general principle for the design of tough hydrogels is to implement two mechanisms for dissipating mechanical energy and maintaining high elasticity in hydrogels. A particularly promising strategy for the design is to integrate multiple pairs of mechanisms across multiple length scales into a hydrogel. We develop a multiscale theoretical framework to quantitatively guide the design of tough hydrogels. On the network level, we have developed micro-physical models to characterize the evolution of polymer networks under deformation. On the continuum level, we have implemented constitutive laws formulated from the network-level models into a coupled cohesive-zone and Mullins-effect model to quantitatively predict crack propagation and fracture toughness of hydrogels. Guided by the design principle and quantitative model, we will demonstrate a set of new hydrogels, based on diverse types of polymers, yet can achieve extremely high toughness superior to their natural counterparts such as cartilages. The work was supported by NSF(No. CMMI- 1253495) and ONR (No. N00014-14-1-0528).

  1. Indole-3-acetic acid/diol based pH-sensitive biological macromolecule for antibacterial, antifungal and antioxidant applications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    G, Chitra; D S, Franklin; S, Sudarsan; M, Sakthivel; S, Guhanathan

    2017-02-01

    Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA)/diol based pH-sensitive biopolymeric hydrogels with tunable biological properties (cytotoxicity, anti-oxidant and anti-fungal) have been synthesized via condensation polymerization. The present study focused on the synthesis of heterocyclic hydrogel using citric acid (CA), indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and diethylene glycol (DEG) by condensation polymerization. The hydrogels revealed a pH-sensitive swelling behaviour, with increased swelling in acidic media, then turns to decreased the swelling in the basic media. The hydrogel samples were tested for antifungal activity against Aspergillus fumigates, Rhizopusoryzae and Candida albicans at different concentrations using ketoconazole as positive control and DMSO as negative control for antifungal activity. Antioxidant activity increasing nature in DPPH than NO radical compared with rutin and confirmed non toxic property using cytotoxicity analysis. The biopolymeric hydrogels were characterized by Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, 1 H NMR, 13 C NMR, TGA, DSC followed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Such hydrogels with antioxidant properties is recommended for medical applications such as bandages, catheters, drains and tubes to prevent infection. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  2. RANKL release from self-assembling nanofiber hydrogels for inducing osteoclastogenesis in vitro.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xing, James Z; Lu, Lei; Unsworth, Larry D; Major, Paul W; Doschak, Michael R; Kaipatur, Neelambar R

    2017-02-01

    To develop a nanofiber hydrogel (NF-hydrogel) for sustained and controlled release of the recombinant receptor activator of NF-kB ligand; (RANKL) and to characterize the release kinetics and bioactivity of the released RANKL. Various concentrations of fluorescently-labelled RANKL protein were added to NF-hydrogels, composed of Acetyl-(Arg-Ala-Asp-Ala) 4 -CONH 2 [(RADA) 4 ] of different concentrations, to investigate the resulting in vitro release rates. The nano-structures of NF-hydrogel, with and without RANKL, were determined using atomic force microscopy (AFM). Released RANKL was further analyzed for changes in secondary and tertiary structure using CD spectroscopy and fluorescent emission spectroscopy, respectively. Bioactivity of released RANKL protein was determined using NFATc1 gene expression and tartrate resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) activity of osteoclast cells as biomarkers. NF-hydrogel concentration dependent sustained release of RANKL protein was measured at concentrations between 0.5 and 2%(w/v). NF-hydrogel at 2%(w/v) concentration exhibited a sustained and slow-release of RANKL protein up to 48h. Secondary and tertiary structure analyses confirmed no changes to the RANKL protein released from NF-hydrogel in comparison to native RANKL. The results of NFATc1 gene mRNA expression and TRAP activities of osteoclast, showed that the release process did not affect the bioactivity of released RANKL. This novel study is the first of its kind to attempt in vitro characterization of NF-hydrogel based delivery of RANKL protein to induce osteoclastogenesis. We have shown the self-assembling NF-hydrogel peptide system is amenable to the sustained and controlled release of RANKL locally; that could in turn increase local concentration of RANKL to induce osteoclastogenesis, for application to the controlled mobilization of tooth movement in orthodontic procedures. Orthodontic tooth movement (OTM) occurs through controlled application of light forces to teeth

  3. Bioinspired Nanocomposite Hydrogels with Highly Ordered Structures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Ziguang; Fang, Ruochen; Rong, Qinfeng; Liu, Mingjie

    2017-12-01

    In the human body, many soft tissues with hierarchically ordered composite structures, such as cartilage, skeletal muscle, the corneas, and blood vessels, exhibit highly anisotropic mechanical strength and functionality to adapt to complex environments. In artificial soft materials, hydrogels are analogous to these biological soft tissues due to their "soft and wet" properties, their biocompatibility, and their elastic performance. However, conventional hydrogel materials with unordered homogeneous structures inevitably lack high mechanical properties and anisotropic functional performances; thus, their further application is limited. Inspired by biological soft tissues with well-ordered structures, researchers have increasingly investigated highly ordered nanocomposite hydrogels as functional biological engineering soft materials with unique mechanical, optical, and biological properties. These hydrogels incorporate long-range ordered nanocomposite structures within hydrogel network matrixes. Here, the critical design criteria and the state-of-the-art fabrication strategies of nanocomposite hydrogels with highly ordered structures are systemically reviewed. Then, recent progress in applications in the fields of soft actuators, tissue engineering, and sensors is highlighted. The future development and prospective application of highly ordered nanocomposite hydrogels are also discussed. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  4. Dialing in the Ratio of Covalent and Coordination Cross-links in Self-healing Hydrogels

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Andersen, Amanda; Krogsgaard, Marie; Birkedal, Henrik

    ; it is of great interest to control the degree of which these are present; i.e. controlling the degree of catechol oxidation. Here, we report hydrogels in which the catechols participating in reversible (oxidation resistant catechol-analogue6) and irreversible oxidation cross-links are separated, enabling one...... to predefine the ratio of the two by altering the composition. The oxidation-resistant catechol-analogue was grafted onto polyallylamine,4 while the oxidation cross-links are introduced by addition of tannic acid that has the same useful properties as catechols.5,7,8 This affords hydrogels that retain self......-healing abilities even at high pH but that can be stiffened at will by dialing in the required degree of covalent crosslinking. This dial-in method thus harnesses two aspects of catechol-type chemistries to yield double network hydrogels in a straightforward and highly controllable manner....

  5. Study of poly (acrylamide-co-2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid) hydrogel using gamma radiation initiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Zhang, C.; Easteal, A.J.

    1998-01-01

    Full text: Poly (acrylamide-co-2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid ) (PAAM-co-AMPS) polyelectrolyte hydrogels were formed by using γ-radiation to initiate polymerization and cross-linking. The dependence of chain growth and cross-linking of liquid-like gel on absorbed dose was observed by viscosity measurement. It was found that the viscosity of liquid-like gel increased non-linearly with increasing radiation dose. Crosslinking took place at about 2,300 Gy. It was noted that an ageing effect occurred, such that the viscosity of liquid-like gels decreased significantly on standing. X-ray diffraction revealed that after dehydration the dried gels were amorphous, suggesting that radiation polymerization occurs by random initiation and propagation. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) indicated a clear distinction between the thermal behaviour of the homopolymer gels formed by irradiation, and the behaviour of the copolymer gels. PAAM-co-AMPS gels have enhanced thermal stability in comparison to PAAM and PAMPS. The melting points of water in the gels initially increase with increasing dose, and decrease slightly at very high radiation dose. Those trends can be explained by the variation in the numbers of solute molecules or ions in the gels with absorbed dose. Melting points of water in gels can be used for observation of the polymerization process associated with irradiation. Copolymer composition (expressed by either f 1 (AAM molal fraction ) or f 2 (AMPS molal fraction) ) associated with radiation dose was determined by both elemental analysis and FTIR. Both methods show that f 1 increases to a maximum with increasing dose, and subsequently decreases. It is concluded that PAAM-co-AMPS hydrogels were synthesised successfully by gamma radiation initiation, and that copolymer compositions are dependent on radiation dose

  6. Development of injectable hydrogels for nucleus pulposus replacement

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thomas, Jonathan D.

    Intervertebral disc degeneration has been reported as the underlying cause for 75% of cases of lower back pain and is marked by dehydration of the nucleus pulposus within the intervertebral disc. There have been many implant designs to replace the nucleus pulposus. Some researchers have proposed the replacement of the nucleus pulposus with hydrogel materials. The insertion of devices made from these materials further compromises the annulus of the disc. An ideal nucleus replacement could be injected into the disc space and form a solid in vivo. However, injectable replacements using curing elastomers and thermoplastic materials are not ideal because of the potentially harmful exothermic heat evolved from their reactions and the toxicity of the reactants used. We propose a hydrogel system that can be injected as a liquid at 25°C and solidified to yield a hydrogel within the intervertebral disc at 37°C. In aqueous solutions, these polymers have Lower Critical Solution Temperatures (LCST) between 25-37°C, making them unique candidate materials for this application. Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm) is the most widely studied LCST polymer due to its drastic transition near body temperature. However, by itself, pure PNIPAAm forms a hydrogel that has low water content and can readily undergo plastic deformation. To increase the water content and impart elasticity to PNIPAAm hydrogels, grafted and branched hydrogel systems were created that incorporated the thermogelling PNIPAAm and hydrophilic poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG). In this research, the effects of polymer composition and monomer to initiator ratio, which controls polymer MW, on the in vitro swelling properties (mass, chemical, and compressive mechanical stability) of hydrogels formed from aqueous solutions of these polymers were evaluated. Immersion studies were also conducted in solutions to simulate the osmotic environment of the nucleus pulposus. The effects of repeated compression and unloading cycles

  7. Synthesis of luminescent YVO4:Eu3+ submicrometer crystals through hydrogels as directing agents

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, Yan; Zheng, Yuhui; Wang, Qianming; Zhang, Cheng Cheng

    2012-01-01

    The innovative hydrogel template (polyacrylamide or polyacrylic acid) directed synthesis of YVO 4 :Eu 3+ phosphor in a controlled manner was thoroughly studied. Photoluminescence spectra show the europium(III)-doped yttrium orthovanadate could exhibit strong red emissions within the soft matrix (polyacrylamide) and remain relatively stable even when the temperature reached nearly 100 °C. After calcination process, X-ray powder diffraction patterns, SEM and DLS measurements implied that the sample was in agreement with pure tetragonal phase and the particle sizes were in the range of 100–200 nm. More importantly, YVO 4 :Eu 3+ products prepared based on hydrogels have remarkable improvement in emission intensities compared to phosphors synthesized by conventional approach. Similar results of overall quantum efficiency also support that YVO 4 :Eu 3+ assembled by PAM hydrogel (1.94%) is better than the routine way (0.91%). -- Highlights: ► YVO 4 :Eu 3+ could be formed within the soft matrix. ► The as-derived YVO 4 :Eu 3+ exhibited red emissions and remain relatively stable nearly 100 °C. ► YVO 4 :Eu 3+ prepared by hydrogels has remarkable improvement in emission intensities.

  8. Novel pH-sensitive photopolymer hydrogel and its holographic sensing response for solution characterization

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Hongpeng; Yu, Dan; Zhou, Ke; Wang, Shichan; Luo, Suhua; Li, Li; Wang, Weibo; Song, Qinggong

    2018-05-01

    Optical sensor based on pH-sensitive hydrogel has important practical applications in medical diagnosis and bio-sensor areas. This report details the experimental and theoretical results from a novel photosensitive polymer hydrogel holographic sensor, which formed by thermal polymerization of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate, for the detection of pH in buffer. Volume grating recorded in the polymer hydrogel was employed in response to the performance of solution. Methacrylic acid with carboxyl groups was selected as the primary co-monomer to functionalize the matrix. Peak diffraction spectrum of holographic grating determined as a primary sensing parameter was characterized to reflect the change in pH. The extracted linear relation between peak wavelength and pH value provided a probability for the practical application of holographic sensor. To explore the sensing mechanism deeply, a theoretical model was used to describe the relevant holographic processes, including grating formation, dark diffusional enhancement, and final fringe swelling. Numerical result further showed all of the dynamic processes and internal sensing physical mechanism. These experimental and numerical results provided a significant foundation for the development of novel holographic sensor based on polymer hydrogel and improvement of its practical applicability.

  9. Fluxgate magnetorelaxometry of superparamagnetic nanoparticles for hydrogel characterization

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Heim, Erik; Harling, Steffen; Poehlig, Kai; Ludwig, Frank; Menzel, Henning; Schilling, Meinhard

    2007-01-01

    A new characterization method for hydrogels based on the relaxation behavior of superparamagnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) is proposed. MNPs are incorporated in the hydrogel to examine its network properties. By analyzing their relaxation behavior, incorporated and mobile nanoparticles can be studied. In the case of mobile nanoparticles, the microviscosity of the hydrogel can be determined. Thus, this method allows the studying of gelation as well as the degradation process of hydrogels. Furthermore, the hydrogel can have any shape (e.g. microspheres or larger blocks) and no sample preparation is needed, avoiding artefacts

  10. Formulation and release of alaptide from cellulose-based hydrogels

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zbyněk Sklenář

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available The modern drug alaptide, synthetic dipeptide, shows regenerative effects and effects on the epitelisation process. A commercial product consisting of 1% alaptide hydrophilic cream is authorised for use in veterinary practice. This study focuses on the formulation of alaptide into semi-synthetic polymer-based hydrogels. The aim of the present study is to prepare hydrogels and to evaluate the liberation of alaptide from hydrogels. The hydrogels were prepared on the basis of three gel-producing substances: methylcellulose, hydroxyethylcellulose and hydroxypropylcellulose. To enhance the drug release from hydrogel humectants, glycerol, propylene glycol and ethanol in various concentrations were evaluated. The permeation of the alaptide from gels into the acceptor solution was evaluated with the use of the permeable membrane neprophane. The amount of drug released from prepared hydrogels was determined spectrophotometrically. Hydrogels with optimal alaptide liberation properties were subjected to the study of rheological properties in the next phase. The optimal composition of hydrogel as established in this study was 1% alaptide + 3% hydroxyethylcellulose with the addition of 10% glycerol as humectant. Due to the advantageous properties of hydrogels in wounds, alaptide could be incorporated into a hydrogel base for use in veterinary medicine.

  11. Separation of water and oil by poly (acrylic acid)-coated stainless steel mesh prepared by radiation crosslinking

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Nho, Young Chang; Shin, Jung Woong; Park, Jong Seok; Lim, Young Mook; Jeun, Joon Pyo; Kang, Phil Hyun [Research Division for Industry and Environment, Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Jeongeup (Korea, Republic of)

    2015-05-15

    The stainless steel mesh coated with poly(acrylic acid) hydrogel was fabricated and applied for the separation of water and oil. The stainless steel mesh was immersed in aqueous poly (acrylic acid) solution, and then irradiated by radiation to introduce poly(acrylic acid) hydrogel on the surface of mesh by crosslinking. It was possible to separate oil and water from mixtures of oil/water effectively using the hydrogel-coated mesh. The effect of irradiation dose, coating thickness, size of mesh on the separation efficiency was examined.

  12. Design properties of hydrogel tissue-engineering scaffolds

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhu, Junmin; Marchant, Roger E

    2011-01-01

    This article summarizes the recent progress in the design and synthesis of hydrogels as tissue-engineering scaffolds. Hydrogels are attractive scaffolding materials owing to their highly swollen network structure, ability to encapsulate cells and bioactive molecules, and efficient mass transfer. Various polymers, including natural, synthetic and natural/synthetic hybrid polymers, have been used to make hydrogels via chemical or physical crosslinking. Recently, bioactive synthetic hydrogels have emerged as promising scaffolds because they can provide molecularly tailored biofunctions and adjustable mechanical properties, as well as an extracellular matrix-like microenvironment for cell growth and tissue formation. This article addresses various strategies that have been explored to design synthetic hydrogels with extracellular matrix-mimetic bioactive properties, such as cell adhesion, proteolytic degradation and growth factor-binding. PMID:22026626

  13. THE USE OF POLYSACCHARIDES EXTRACTED FROM SEED OF Persea americana var. Hass ON THE SYNTHESIS OF ACRYLIC HYDROGELS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vicente Arturo Lara-Valencia

    Full Text Available This paper reports the use of polysaccharides extracted from seed of Persea americana var. Hass in the synthesis of acrylic hydrogels. The effects of the chemical composition (acrylamide/acrylic acid, the concentration of crosslinking agent (glycerol diacrylate and the type of initiation (redox, photoinitiation of the hydrogels were evaluated with and without polysaccharides. Xerogels were characterized by FTIR spectroscopy, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC and scanning electron microscopy (SEM, while for the swollen hydrogels the swelling kinetic and mechanical properties were evaluated. The kinetic parameters were obtained using the second order equation proposed by Schott, where it is reported that by increasing the concentration of the crosslinking agent, the degree of swelling is reduced because of the greater structural level. The increase of the amount of acrylamide and the amount of polysaccharides causes also a decrease in the swelling degree. The type of initiation also affected the hydrogels swelling kinetic, the photoinitiated hydrogels were the ones that captured less water. Moreover, the increasing of the glass transition temperature and the compression modulus with the crosslinking agent concentration and molar ratio AAm/AAc are observed for hydrogels with and without polysaccharides. The results demonstrate a successful incorporation of polysaccharides into the polymeric network.

  14. Analysis of friction between articular cartilage and polyvinyl alcohol hydrogel artificial cartilage.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Feng; Wang, Anmin; Wang, Chengtao

    2016-05-01

    Many biomaterials are being used to repair damaged articular cartilage. In particular, poly vinyl alcohol hydrogel has similar mechanical properties to natural cartilage under compressive and shearing loading. Here, three-factor and two-level friction experiments and long-term tests were conducted to better evaluate its tribological properties. The friction coefficient between articular cartilage and the poly vinyl alcohol hydrogel depended primarily on the three factors of load, speed, and lubrication. When the speed increased from 10 to 20 mm/s under a load of 10 N, the friction coefficient increased from 0.12 to 0.147. When the lubricant was changed from Ringer's solution to a hyaluronic acid solution, the friction coefficient decreased to 0.084 with loads as high as 22 N. The poly vinyl alcohol hydrogel was severely damaged and lost its top surface layers, which were transferred to the articular cartilage surface. Wear was observed in the surface morphologies, which indicated the occurrence of surface adhesion of bovine cartilage. Surface fatigue and adhesive wear was the dominant wear mechanism.

  15. pH-Sensitive Hydrogel for Micro-Fluidic Valve

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zhengzhi Yang

    2012-07-01

    Full Text Available The deformation behavior of a pH-sensitive hydrogel micro-fluidic valve system is investigated using inhomogeneous gel deformation theory, in which the fluid-structure interaction (FSI of the gel solid and fluid flow in the pipe is considered. We use a finite element method with a well adopted hydrogel constitutive equation, which is coded in commercial software, ABAQUS, to simulate the hydrogel valve swelling deformation, while FLUENT is adopted to model the fluid flow in the pipe of the hydrogel valve system. The study demonstrates that FSI significantly affects the gel swelling deformed shapes, fluid flow pressure and velocity patterns. FSI has to be considered in the study on fluid flow regulated by hydrogel microfluidic valve. The study provides a more accurate and adoptable model for future design of new pH-sensitive hydrogel valves, and also gives a useful guideline for further studies on hydrogel fluidic applications.

  16. Radiation-chemical preparation of poly(vinyl alcohol) hydrogels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Duflot, Anastasia V.; Kitaeva, Natalia K.; Duflot, Vladimir R.

    2015-01-01

    This work reports the usage of method of radiation-chemical synthesis to prepare cross-linked hydrogels from poly(vinyl alcohol) modified with glycidyl methacrylate. Synthesis kinetics of modified poly(vinyl alcohol) and properties of hydrogels were studied. The gel fraction, swelling, mechanical properties, and water content of the hydrogels were measured. It was found that gel fraction increases with increasing radiation dose, concentration of modified poly(vinyl alcohol), and reaches 60%. It was established by differential scanning calorimetry that a fraction of the “bound” water in hydrogels is 50–70% and independent of gel fraction content. In addition to “bound” and “free” states, water in hydrogels is also present in the intermediate state. - Highlights: • The synthesis and the properties of poly(vinyl alcohol) hydrogels were studied. • PVA was modified by glycidyl methacrylate before gamma cross-linking. • The modification results in decreasing of PVA cross-linking dose by 3 orders lower. • The gel fraction and water content of the hydrogels were measured. • A fraction of the “bound” water in hydrogels is independent of gel fraction content

  17. Facile synthesis of degradable and electrically conductive polysaccharide hydrogels.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guo, Baolin; Finne-Wistrand, Anna; Albertsson, Ann-Christine

    2011-07-11

    Degradable and electrically conductive polysaccharide hydrogels (DECPHs) have been synthesized by functionalizing polysaccharide with conductive aniline oligomers. DECPHs based on chitosan (CS), aniline tetramer (AT), and glutaraldehyde were obtained by a facile one-pot reaction by using the amine group of CS and AT under mild conditions, which avoids the multistep reactions and tedious purification involved in the synthesis of degradable conductive hydrogels in our previous work. Interestingly, these one-pot hydrogels possess good film-forming properties, electrical conductivity, and a pH-sensitive swelling behavior. The chemical structure and morphology before and after swelling of the hydrogels were verified by FT-IR, NMR, and SEM. The conductivity of the hydrogels was tuned by adjusting the content of AT. The swelling ratio of the hydrogels was altered by the content of tetraaniline and cross-linker. The hydrogels underwent slow degradation in a buffer solution. The hydrogels obtained by this facile approach provide new possibilities in biomedical applications, for example, biodegradable conductive hydrogels, films, and scaffolds for cardiovascular tissue engineering and controlled drug delivery.

  18. Formation of zeolite A. Properties of the alumina--silicate hydrogel. Formation of zeolite A on prolonged maturation of the hydrogel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Polak, F; Cichocki, A

    1974-01-01

    Analytic, adsorption, and x-ray investigations of a maturated hydrogel A, crystallized at 94/sup 0/ during 6 hr and of a hydrogel A kept for 2 months at room temperature showed that the zeolite A was formed easily and that maturation of the hydrogel A had little effect on its crystallization at 94/sup 0/. The hydrogel A kept for 2 months at room temperature passed almost completely into the crystalline zeolite A. Changes in the content of SiO/sub 2/, Al/sub 2/O/sub 3/, and Na/sub 2/O in the liquid and solid phases during the maturation and crystallization of the hydrogels A were studied.

  19. Free radical scavenging injectable hydrogels for regenerative therapy.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Komeri, Remya; Thankam, Finosh Gnanaprakasam; Muthu, Jayabalan

    2017-02-01

    Pathological free radicals generated from inflamed and infarcted cardiac tissues interferes natural tissue repair mechanisms. Hypoxic microenvironment at the injured zone of non-regenerating cardiac tissues hinders the therapeutic attempts including cell therapy. Here we report an injectable, cytocompatible, free radical scavenging synthetic hydrogel formulation for regenerative therapy. New hydrogel (PEAX-P) is prepared with D-xylitol-co-fumarate-co-poly ethylene adipate-co-PEG comaromer (PEAX) and PEGDiacrylate. PEAX-P hydrogel swells 4.9 times the initial weight and retains 100.07kPa Young modulus at equilibrium swelling, which is suitable for cardiac applications. PEAX-P hydrogel retains elastic nature even at 60% compressive strain, which is favorable to fit with the dynamic and elastic natural tissue counterparts. PEAX-P hydrogel scavenges 51% DPPH radical, 40% hydroxyl radicals 41% nitrate radicals with 31% reducing power. The presence of hydrogel protects 62% cardiomyoblast cells treated with stress inducing media at LD 50 concentration. The free hydroxyl groups in sugar alcohols of the comacromer influence the free radical scavenging. Comparatively, PEAX-P hydrogel based on xylitol evinces slightly lower scavenging characteristics than with previously reported PEAM-P hydrogel containing mannitol having more hydroxyl groups. The possible free radical scavenging mechanism of the present hydrogel relies on the free π electrons associated with uncrosslinked fumarate bonds, hydrogen atoms associated with sugar alcohols/PEG and radical dilution by free water in the matrix. Briefly, the present PEAX-P hydrogel is a potential injectable system for combined antioxidant and regenerative therapy. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  20. Resilin-like polypeptide-poly(ethylene gylcol) hybrid hydrogels for mechanically-demanding tissue engineering applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    McGann, Christopher Leland

    RLPs through the successful conjugation of norbornene acid to the protein. Oscillatory rheology characterized the gelation and subsequent mechanical properties of the photoreactive RLP-PEG hydrogels while the cytocompatibility was confirmed via the successful encapsulation and culture of human mesenchymal stem cells. Both strategies demonstrate the utility of hybrid materials that combine biosynthetic proteins with synthetic polymers. As resilient and cytocompatible materials, RLP-PEG hybrid hydrogels offer an exciting strategy towards the development of biomimetic tissue engineering scaffolds for mechanically-demanding applications.

  1. Chitosan composite hydrogels reinforced with natural clay nanotubes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Biao; Liu, Mingxian; Zhou, Changren

    2017-11-01

    Here, chitosan composites hydrogels were prepared by addition of halloysite nanotubes (HNTs) in the chitosan KOH/LiOH/urea solution. The raw chitosan and chitosan/HNTs composite hydrogels were obtained by heat treatment at 60°C for 8h and then regeneration in ethanol solution. The viscosity of the composite solution is increased with HNTs content. The Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) shows that the hydrogen bonds interactions exist between the HNTs and the chitosan. X-ray diffraction (XRD) results show that the crystal structure of HNT is not changed in the composite hydrogels. The compressive property test and storage modulus determination show that the mechanical properties and anti-deformation ability of the composite hydrogel significantly increase owing to the reinforcing effect of HNTs. The composites hydrogel with 66.7% HNTs can undergo 7 times compression cycles without breaking with compressive strength of 0.71MPa at 70% deformation, while pure chitosan hydrogel is broken after bearing 5 compression cycles with compressive strength of 0.14MPa and a maximum deformation of 59%. A porous structure with pore size of 100-500μm is found in the composite hydrogels by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the pore size and the swelling ratio in NaCl solution decrease by the addition of HNTs and the immersing of ethanol. Chitosan/HNTs composite hydrogels show low cytotoxicity towards MC3T3-E1 cells. Also, the composite hydrogels show a maximum drug entrapment efficiency of 45.7% for doxorubicin (DOX) which is much higher than that of pure chitosan hydrogel (27.5%). All the results illustrate that the chitosan/HNTs composite hydrogels show promising applications as biomaterials. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  2. Electro-mechanical properties of hydrogel composites with micro- and nano-cellulose fillers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Shahid U N, Mohamed; Deshpande, Abhijit P; Rao, C Lakshmana

    2015-01-01

    Stimuli responsive cross-linked hydrogels are of great interest for applications in diverse fields such as sensors and biomaterials. In this study, we investigate polymer composites filled with cellulose fillers. The celluloses used in making the composites were a microcrystalline cellulose of commercial grade and cellulose nano-whiskers obtained through acid hydrolysis of microcrystalline cellulose. The filler concentration was varied and corresponding physical, mechanical and electro-mechanical characterization was carried out. The electro-mechanical properties were determined using a quasi-static method. The fillers not only enhance the mechanical properties of the composite by providing better reinforcement but also provide a quantitative electric potential in the composite. The measurements reveal that the polymer composites prepared from two different cellulose fillers possess a quantitative electric potential which can be utilized in biomedical applications. It is argued that the mechanism behind the quantitative electric potential in the composites is due to streaming potentials arising due to electrical double layer formation. (paper)

  3. Influence of polymer network parameters of tragacanth gum-based pH responsive hydrogels on drug delivery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Singh, Baljit; Sharma, Vikrant

    2014-01-30

    The present article deals with design of tragacanth gum-based pH responsive hydrogel drug delivery systems. The characterization of hydrogels has been carried out by SEMs, EDAX, FTIR, (13)C NMR, XRD, TGA/DTA/DTG and swelling studies. The correlation between reaction conditions and structural parameters of polymer networks such as polymer volume fraction in the swollen state (ϕ), Flory-Huggins interaction parameter (χ), molecular weight of the polymer chain between two neighboring cross links (M¯c), crosslink density (ρ) and mesh size (ξ) has been determined. The different kinetic models such as zero order, first order, Higuchi square root law, Korsmeyer-Peppas model and Hixson-Crowell cube root model were applied and it has been observed that release profile of amoxicillin best followed the first order model for the release of drug from the polymer matrix. The swelling of the hydrogels and release of drug from the drug loaded hydrogels occurred through non-Fickian diffusion mechanism in pH 7.4 solution. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Enhancement of Curcumin Bioavailability Using Nanocellulose Reinforced Chitosan Hydrogel

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Thennakoon M. Sampath Udeni Gunathilake

    2017-02-01

    Full Text Available A unique biodegradable, superporous, swellable and pH sensitive nanocellulose reinforced chitosan hydrogel with dynamic mechanical properties was prepared for oral administration of curcumin. Curcumin, a less water-soluble drug was used due to the fact that the fast swellable, superporous hydrogel could release a water-insoluble drug to a great extent. CO2 gas foaming was used to fabricate hydrogel as it eradicates using organic solvents. Field emission scanning electron microscope images revealed that the pore size significantly increased with the formation of widely interconnected porous structure in gas foamed hydrogels. The maximum compression of pure chitosan hydrogel was 25.9 ± 1 kPa and it increased to 38.4 ± 1 kPa with the introduction of 0.5% cellulose nanocrystals. In vitro degradation of hydrogels was found dependent on the swelling ratio and the amount of CNC of the hydrogel. All the hydrogels showed maximum swelling ratios greater than 300%. The 0.5% CNC-chitosan hydrogel showed the highest swelling ratio of 438% ± 11%. FTIR spectrum indicated that there is no interaction between drug and ingredients present in hydrogels. The drug release occurred in non-Fickian (anomalous manner in simulated gastric medium. The drug release profiles of hydrogels are consistent with the data obtained from the swelling studies. After gas foaming of the hydrogel, the drug loading efficiency increased from 41% ± 2.4% to 50% ± 2.0% and release increased from 0.74 to 1.06 mg/L. The drug release data showed good fitting to Ritger-Peppas model. Moreover, the results revealed that the drug maintained its chemical activity after in vitro release. According to the results of this study, CNC reinforced chitosan hydrogel can be suggested to improve the bioavailability of curcumin for the absorption from stomach and upper intestinal tract.

  5. Synthesis and characterization of cloisite-30B clay dispersed poly (acryl amide/sodium alginate)/AgNp hydrogel composites for the study of BSA protein drug delivery and antibacterial activity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nanjunda Reddy, B. H.; Ranjan Rauta, Pradipta; Venkatalakshimi, V.; Sreenivasa, Swamy

    2018-02-01

    The aim of this research is to inspect the effect of Cloisite-30B (C30B) modified clay dispersed poly (acrylamide-co-Sodiumalginate)/AgNp hydrogel nanocomposites (PASA/C30B/Ag) for drug delivery and antibacterial activity. A novel hydrogel composite based sodium alginate (SA) and the inorganic modified clay with silver nano particle (C30B/AgNps)polymer hydrogel composites are synthesized via the graft copolymerization of acrylamide (AAm) in an aqueous medium with methylene bisacrylamide (MBA) as a crosslinking agent and ammonium per sulfate(APS) as an initiator. The UV/Visible spectroscopy of obtained composites is successfully studied, which confirms the occurrence of AgNps in the hydrogel composites. And the swelling capacity and bovine serum albumin (BSA) protein as model drug delivery study for these hydrogel nanocomposites have been carried out. The C30B/Ag filled hydrogel composites exhibit superior water absorbency or swelling capacity compared to pure samples and it is establish that the formulations with clay (C30B) dispersed silver nanocomposite hydrogels show improved and somewhat faster rate of drug delivery than other formulations(pure systems) and SEM and TEM reports suggests that the size of AgNps in the composite hydrogels is in the range of 5-10 nm with shrunken surface and the antibacterial characterizations for gram positive and gram negative bacteria are carried out by using Streptococcus faecalis (S. Faecalis) and Escherichia coli (E.coli) as model bacteria and the hydrogel composites of PASA/C30B/Ag shows exceptional antibacterial activity against both the bacteria as compared to pure hydrogel composites samples.

  6. Anisotropic dehydration of hydrogel surfaces.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kaklamani, Georgia; Cheneler, David; Grover, Liam M; Adams, Michael J; Anastasiadis, Spiros H; Bowen, James

    2017-12-01

    Efforts to develop tissue-engineered skin for regenerative medicine have explored natural, synthetic, and hybrid hydrogels. The creation of a bilayer material, with the stratification exhibited by native skin, is a complex problem. The mechanically robust, waterproof epidermis presents the stratum corneum at the tissue/air interface, which confers many of these protective properties. In this work, we explore the effect of high temperatures on alginate hydrogels, which are widely employed for tissue engineering due to their excellent mechanical properties and cellular compatibility. In particular, we investigate the rapid dehydration of the hydrogel surface which occurs following local exposure to heated surfaces with temperatures in the range 100-200 °C. We report the creation of a mechanically strengthened hydrogel surface, with improved puncture resistance and increased coefficient of friction, compared to an unheated surface. The use of a mechanical restraint during heating promoted differences in the rate of mass loss; the rate of temperature increase within the hydrogel, in the presence and absence of restraint, is simulated and discussed. It is hoped that the results will be of use in the development of processes suitable for preparing skin-like analogues; application areas could include wound healing and skin restoration.

  7. Economic benefit of a polyacrylate-based hydrogel compared to an amorphous hydrogel in wound bed preparation of venous leg ulcers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kaspar D

    2015-04-01

    Full Text Available Daniela Kaspar,1 Jörg Linder,1 Petra Zöllner,1 Ulrich Simon,2 Hans Smola1,31Medical Competence Centre, Paul Hartmann AG, Heidenheim, Germany; 2Scientific Computing Centre, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany; 3Department of Dermatology, University of Cologne, Cologne, GermanyObjective: To assess the cost-effectiveness of a polyacrylate (PA-based hydrogel compared to an amorphous hydrogel in wound bed preparation for venous leg ulcers.Method: A cost-effectiveness analysis was undertaken alongside a multicenter, randomized controlled trial performed in France. A total of 75 patients with venous leg ulcers extensively covered with fibrin and necrotic tissue were randomized to a PA-containing hydrogel or an amorphous hydrogel. Wounds were treated for 14 days and costs were estimated from the German payer's perspective. Medical costs included study treatment, wound treatment supply, and labor time. The clinical benefit was expressed as the number of patients with wounds >50% covered with granulation tissue within 14 days. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER was expressed as the additional cost spent with >50% granulation tissue per day per patient within 14 days of leg ulcer care.Results: Because of individual pricing of wound dressings in hospitals, cost data were derived from the outpatient sector. A total of 33 patients were treated using the PA-based hydrogel and 37 patients using the amorphous hydrogel. The estimated total direct costs per patient and per 14 days of therapy were €306 for both treatment groups. However, with the PA-based hydrogel, 2.5 additional days with wounds covered >50% with granulation tissues were gained within 14 days of leg ulcer care compared to the comparator. The ICER was €0 per additional day spent with >50% granulation tissue.Conclusion: Although there were a greater number of dressing changes in the PA-based hydrogel treatment, the total treatment cost for 14 days of leg ulcer care was the same for both

  8. Evaluation of Photocrosslinked Lutrol Hydrogel for Tissue Printing applications

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Fedorovich, Natalja E.; Swennen, Ives; Girones, Jordi; Moroni, Lorenzo; van Blitterswijk, Clemens; Schacht, Etienne; Alblas, Jacqueline; Dhert, Wouter J.A.

    2009-01-01

    Application of hydrogels in tissue engineering and innovative strategies such as organ printing, which is based on layered 3D deposition of cell-laden hydrogels, requires design of novel hydrogel matrices. Hydrogel demands for 3D printing include: 1) preservation of the printed shape after the

  9. REVIEW: CHITOSAN BASED HYDROGEL POLYMERIC BEADS – AS DRUG DELIVERY SYSTEM

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Manjusha Rani

    2010-11-01

    Full Text Available Chitosan obtained by alkaline deacetylation of chitin is a non-toxic, biocompatible, and biodegradable natural polymer. Chitosan-based hydrogel polymeric beads have been extensively studied as micro- or nano-particulate carriers in the pharmaceutical and medical fields, where they have shown promise for drug delivery as a result of their controlled and sustained release properties, as well as biocompatibility with tissue and cells. To introduce desired properties and enlarge the scope of the potential applications of chitosan, graft copolymerization with natural or synthetic polymers on it has been carried out, and also, various chitosan derivatives have been utilized to form beads. The desired kinetics, duration, and rate of drug release up to therapeutical level from polymeric beads are limited by specific conditions such as beads material and their composition, bead preparation method, amount of drug loading, drug solubility, and drug polymer interaction. The present review summarizes most of the available reports about compositional and structural effects of chitosan-based hydrogel polymeric beads on swelling, drug loading, and releasing properties. From the studies reviewed it is concluded that chitosan-based hydrogel polymeric beads are promising drug delivery systems.

  10. Wide-range stiffness gradient PVA/HA hydrogel to investigate stem cell differentiation behavior.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oh, Se Heang; An, Dan Bi; Kim, Tae Ho; Lee, Jin Ho

    2016-04-15

    Although stiffness-controllable substrates have been developed to investigate the effect of stiffness on cell behavior and function, the use of separate substrates with different degrees of stiffness, substrates with a narrow range stiffness gradient, toxicity of residues, different surface composition, complex fabrication procedures/devices, and low cell adhesion are still considered as hurdles of conventional techniques. In this study, a cylindrical polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/hyaluronic acid (HA) hydrogel with a wide-range stiffness gradient (between ∼20kPa and ∼200kPa) and cell adhesiveness was prepared by a liquid nitrogen (LN2)-contacting gradual freezing-thawing method that does not use any additives or specific devices to produce the stiffness gradient hydrogel. From an in vitro cell culture using the stiffness gradient PVA/HA hydrogel, it was observed that human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells have favorable stiffness ranges for induction of differentiation into specific cell types (∼20kPa for nerve cell, ∼40kPa for muscle cell, ∼80kPa for chondrocyte, and ∼190kPa for osteoblast). The PVA/HA hydrogel with a wide range of stiffness spectrum can be a useful tool for basic studies related with the stem cell differentiation, cell reprogramming, cell migration, and tissue regeneration in terms of substrate stiffness. It is postulated that the stiffness of the extracellular matrix influences cell behavior. To prove this concept, various techniques to prepare substrates with a stiffness gradient have been developed. However, the narrow ranges of stiffness gradient and complex fabrication procedures/devices are still remained as limitations. Herein, we develop a substrate (hydrogel) with a wide-range stiffness gradient using a gradual freezing-thawing method which does not need specific devices to produce a stiffness gradient hydrogel. From cell culture experiments using the hydrogel, it is observed that human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells have

  11. Itaconic acid based potential sorbent for uranium recovery

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kalyan, Y.; Naidu, G.R.K.; Das, Sadananda; Pandey, A.K.; Reddy, A.V.R.

    2010-01-01

    Cross-linked hydrogels and adsorptive membranes containing Itaconic acid, Acrylamide, Penta erythritol tetra acrylate and α, α-dimethyl- α-phenyl aceto phenone were prepared by UV-initiated bulk polymerization. These hydrogels and adsorptive membranes were characterized for pH uptake, sorption and desorption kinetics and selectivity towards uranium. The sorption ability of the sorbents towards uranyl ion was thoroughly examined. The developed itaconic acid based sorbents were evaluated for the recovery of uranium from lean sources like sea water. (author)

  12. Tragacanth gum/nano silver hydrogel on cotton fabric: In-situ synthesis and antibacterial properties.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Montazer, M; Keshvari, A; Kahali, P

    2016-12-10

    This paper is mainly focused on introducing cotton fabric with hydrogel and antimicrobial properties using Tragacanth gum as a natural polymer with hydrogel properties, silver nitrate as silver precursor, citric acid as a cross-linking agent and sodium hypophosphite as catalyst. The water absorption behavior of the treated fabrics was investigated with moisture regain, water retention, drying time of wetted fabric at room condition and vertical wicking tests. Antibacterial properties of the samples were evaluated against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcous aureus. The SEM pictures confirmed formation of nano silver and hydrogel layer on the fabric surface and XRD performed the crystal and particle size of the nano silver. The chemical structure of the fabric samples was identified with FTIR spectra. The central composite design (CCD) was used for statistical modelling, evaluated effective parameters and created optimum conditions. The treated cotton fabrics showed good water absorption properties along with reasonable antibacterial effectiveness. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. Radiologic Findings in Hydrated Hydrogel Buckles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lee, Sung Bok; Lee, Nam Ho; Jo, Young Joon; Kim, Jung Yeul; Lee, Yeon Hee; Kim, Song Soo

    2008-01-01

    Hydrogel buckles, which are used in scleral buckling surgery for retinal detachment, have been associated with late complications after successful retinal reattachment surgery, including strabismus, extraocular motility restriction, extrusion through the eyelid or conjunctiva, intraocular erosion, and scleral erosion. Hydrogel buckles sometimes appear as well-marginated, circumferential, lobulating, contoured cystic masses mimicking orbital cysts on orbital CT or MRI. We report the radiologic findings in 5 patients whose hydrogel buckles needed to be differentiated from orbital cysts

  14. Radiologic Findings in Hydrated Hydrogel Buckles

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lee, Sung Bok; Lee, Nam Ho; Jo, Young Joon; Kim, Jung Yeul; Lee, Yeon Hee; Kim, Song Soo [Chungnam National University, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2008-11-15

    Hydrogel buckles, which are used in scleral buckling surgery for retinal detachment, have been associated with late complications after successful retinal reattachment surgery, including strabismus, extraocular motility restriction, extrusion through the eyelid or conjunctiva, intraocular erosion, and scleral erosion. Hydrogel buckles sometimes appear as well-marginated, circumferential, lobulating, contoured cystic masses mimicking orbital cysts on orbital CT or MRI. We report the radiologic findings in 5 patients whose hydrogel buckles needed to be differentiated from orbital cysts.

  15. Nanostructured Pluronic hydrogels as bioinks for 3D bioprinting

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Müller, Michael; Zenobi-Wong, Marcy; Becher, Jana; Schnabelrauch, Matthias

    2015-01-01

    Bioprinting is an emerging technology in the field of tissue engineering as it allows the precise positioning of biologically relevant materials in 3D, which more resembles the native tissue in our body than current homogenous, bulk approaches. There is however a lack of materials to be used with this technology and materials such as the block copolymer Pluronic have good printing properties but do not allow long-term cell culture. Here we present an approach called nanostructuring to increase the biocompatibility of Pluronic gels at printable concentrations. By mixing acrylated with unmodified Pluronic F127 it was possible to maintain the excellent printing properties of Pluronic and to create stable gels via UV crosslinking. By subsequent elution of the unmodified Pluronic from the crosslinked network we were able to increase the cell viability of encapsulated chondrocytes at day 14 from 62% for a pure acrylated Pluronic hydrogel to 86% for a nanostructured hydrogel. The mixed Pluronic gels also showed good printability when cells where included in the bioink. The nanostructured gels were, with a compressive modulus of 1.42 kPa, mechanically weak, but we were able to increase the mechanical properties by the addition of methacrylated hyaluronic acid. Our nanostructuring approach enables Pluronic hydrogels to have the desired set of properties in all stages of the bioprinting process. (paper)

  16. Characterization and improvement of PVAl/PVP/PEG hydrogels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Oliveira, Maria Jose A.; Parra, Duclerc F.; Almeida, Monise F.; Lugao, Ademar B.

    2009-01-01

    The use of hydrogels matrices for particular drug release applications has been investigated with the synthesis of modified polymeric hydrogel of poly (vinyl alcohol) (PVAl), poly (N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone) (PVP) and poly (ethylene glycol). They were processed using gamma radiation from Cobalt-60 source at 25 kGy dose. In this study it was compared the hydrogels reticulation for irradiation gamma O 2 and N 2 atmosphere. The characterization of the hydrogels was conducted and the toxicity was evaluated. The dried hydrogel was analyzed by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetry (TGA), swelling and gel determinations. The membranes have no toxicity and gel content revealed the crosslinking degree. (author)

  17. Radiation crosslinking of starch/water-soluble polymer blends for hydrogel

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Hashim, K.; Mohid, N.; Bahari, K.; Dahlan, K.Z.

    2000-01-01

    Water-soluble polymers such as PVP(polyvinyl pyrrolidone) and PVA(polyvinyl alcohol), in aqueous solution can form hydrogel easily upon gamma or electron beam irradiation. The properties of hydrogels, particularly for wound dressing application, can be further improved by adding sago starch to the blend. Results show improved gel strength and elongation properties of the hydrogel with increasing sago concentration. It was found that the PVA/sago hydrogel gives better gel strength and elongation than the PVP/sago hydrogel. The tackiness property of the PVA/sago hydrogel increased with increase amount of sago starch added. In case of PVP/sago hydrogel, the tackiness property shows significant increase with increasing amount of sago except for the 5%PVP composition. The swelling properties of PVP/sago and PVA/sago hydrogel decreased with increasing amount of sago but the crosslink density of the hydrogels also reduced. (author)

  18. Bioinspired Smart Actuator Based on Graphene Oxide-Polymer Hybrid Hydrogels.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Tao; Huang, Jiahe; Yang, Yiqing; Zhang, Enzhong; Sun, Weixiang; Tong, Zhen

    2015-10-28

    Rapid response and strong mechanical properties are desired for smart materials used in soft actuators. A bioinspired hybrid hydrogel actuator was designed and prepared by series combination of three trunks of tough polymer-clay hydrogels to accomplish the comprehensive actuation of "extension-grasp-retraction" like a fishing rod. The hydrogels with thermo-creep and thermo-shrinking features were successively irradiated by near-infrared (NIR) to execute extension and retraction, respectively. The GO in the hydrogels absorbed the NIR energy and transformed it into thermo-energy rapidly and effectively. The hydrogel with adhesion or magnetic force was adopted as the "hook" of the hybrid hydrogel actuator for grasping object. The hook of the hybrid hydrogel actuator was replaceable according to applications, even with functional materials other than hydrogels. This study provides an innovative concept to explore new soft actuators through combining response hydrogels and programming the same stimulus.

  19. Radiation crosslinking of starch/water-soluble polymer blends for hydrogel

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Hashim, K.; Mohid, N.; Bahari, K.; Dahlan, K.Z. [Radiation Processing Technology Division, Malaysian Institute Nuclear Technology Research Malaysia (MINT), Bangi, 43000 Kajang (Malaysia)

    2000-03-01

    Water-soluble polymers such as PVP(polyvinyl pyrrolidone) and PVA(polyvinyl alcohol), in aqueous solution can form hydrogel easily upon gamma or electron beam irradiation. The properties of hydrogels, particularly for wound dressing application, can be further improved by adding sago starch to the blend. Results show improved gel strength and elongation properties of the hydrogel with increasing sago concentration. It was found that the PVA/sago hydrogel gives better gel strength and elongation than the PVP/sago hydrogel. The tackiness property of the PVA/sago hydrogel increased with increase amount of sago starch added. In case of PVP/sago hydrogel, the tackiness property shows significant increase with increasing amount of sago except for the 5%PVP composition. The swelling properties of PVP/sago and PVA/sago hydrogel decreased with increasing amount of sago but the crosslink density of the hydrogels also reduced. (author)

  20. Synthesis of modified gum tragacanth/graphene oxide composite hydrogel for heavy metal ions removal and preparation of silver nanocomposite for antibacterial activity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sahraei, Razieh; Ghaemy, Mousa

    2017-02-10

    New composite hydrogels were synthesized based on gum tragacanth (GT) carbohydrate and graphene oxide (GO). GT was sulfonic acid-functionalized and cross-linked by using 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropanesulfonic acid (AMPS) and N,N'-methylenebisacrylamide (MBA) monomers and ceric ammonium nitrate (CAN) as an initiator. The prepared hydrogels were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectrum (FT-IR), field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Adsorption process for removal of heavy metal ions has followed the pseudo-first-order kinetic model and fitted well with the Langmuir model. The maximum adsorption capacity (Q m ) was 142.50, 112.50 and 132.12mgg -1 for Pb(II), Cd(II), and Ag(I), respectively. The removal percentage decreased slightly after several adsorption/desorption cycles. The adsorbed Ag(I) ions in hydrogel were transformed to Ag 0 nanoparticles (with a narrow distribution and mean size of 13.0nm) by using Achillea millefolium flower extract. The antibacterial performance of the Ag 0 nanocomposite hydrogel was also investigated. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  1. Polyisocyanopeptide hydrogels: A novel thermo-responsive hydrogel supporting pre-vascularization and the development of organotypic structures.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zimoch, Jakub; Padial, Joan Simó; Klar, Agnes S; Vallmajo-Martin, Queralt; Meuli, Martin; Biedermann, Thomas; Wilson, Christopher J; Rowan, Alan; Reichmann, Ernst

    2018-04-01

    Molecular and mechanical interactions with the 3D extracellular matrix are essential for cell functions such as survival, proliferation, migration, and differentiation. Thermo-responsive biomimetic polyisocyanopeptide (PIC) hydrogels are promising new candidates for 3D cell, tissue, and organ cultures. This is a synthetic, thermo-responsive and stress-stiffening material synthesized via polymerization of the corresponding monomers using a nickel perchlorate as a catalyst. It can be tailored to meet various demands of cells by modulating its stiffness and through the decoration of the polymer with short GRGDS peptides using copper free click chemistry. These peptides make the hydrogels biocompatible by mimicking the binding sites of certain integrins. This study focuses on the optimization of the PIC polymer properties for efficient cell, tissue and organ development. Screening for the optimal stiffness of the hydrogel and the ideal concentration of the GRGDS ligand conjugated with the polymer, enabled cell proliferation, migration and differentiation of various primary cell types of human origin. We demonstrate that fibroblasts, endothelial cells, adipose-derived stem cells and melanoma cells, do survive, thrive and differentiate in optimized PIC hydrogels. Importantly, these hydrogels support the spontaneous formation of complex structures like blood capillaries in vitro. Additionally, we utilized the thermo-responsive properties of the hydrogels for a rapid and gentle recovery of viable cells. Finally, we show that organotypic structures of human origin grown in PIC hydrogels can be successfully transplanted subcutaneously onto immune-compromised rats, on which they survive and integrate into the surrounding tissue. Molecular and mechanical interactions with the surrounding environment are essential for cell functions. Although 2D culture systems greatly contributed to our understanding of complex biological phenomena, they cannot substitute for crucial

  2. Mechanical properties, structure, bioadhesion, and biocompatibility of pectin hydrogels.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Markov, Pavel A; Krachkovsky, Nikita S; Durnev, Eugene A; Martinson, Ekaterina A; Litvinets, Sergey G; Popov, Sergey V

    2017-09-01

    The surface structure, biocompatibility, textural, and adhesive properties of calcium hydrogels derived from 1, 2, and 4% solutions of apple pectin were examined in this study. An increase in the pectin concentration in hydrogels was shown to improve their stability toward elastic and plastic deformation. The elasticity of pectin hydrogels, measured as Young's modulus, ranged from 6 to 100 kPa. The mechanical properties of the pectin hydrogels were shown to correspond to those of soft tissues. The characterization of surface roughness in terms of the roughness profile (Ra) and the root-mean-square deviation of the roughness profile (Rq) indicated an increased roughness profile for hydrogels depending on their pectin concentration. The adhesion of AU2% and AU4% hydrogels to the serosa abdominal wall, liver, and colon was higher than that of the AU1% hydrogel. The adhesion of macrophages and the non-specific adsorption of blood plasma proteins were found to increase as the pectin concentration in the hydrogels increased. The rate of degradation of all hydrogels was higher in phosphate buffered saline (PBS) than that in DMEM and a fibroblast cell monolayer. The pectin hydrogel was also found to have a low cytotoxicity. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 105A: 2572-2581, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  3. Swelling properties of cassava starch grafted with poly (potassium acrylate-co-acrylamide) superabsorbent hydrogel prepared by ionizing radiation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Barleany, Dhena Ria, E-mail: dbarleany@yahoo.com; Ulfiyani, Fida; Istiqomah, Shafina; Rahmayetty [Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Sultan Ageng Tirtayasa, Cilegon, Banten (Indonesia); Heriyanto, Heri; Erizal [Centre for Application of Isotopes and Radiation, Jakarta (Indonesia)

    2015-12-29

    Natural and synthetic hydrophylic polymers can be phisically or chemically cross-linked in order to produce hydrogels. Starch based hydrogels grafted with copolymers from acrylic acid or acrylamide have become very popular for water absorbent application. Superabsorbent hydrogels made from Cassava starch grafted with poly (potassium acrylate-co-acrylamide) were prepared by using of ϒ-irradiation method. Various important parameters such as irradiation doses, monomer to Cassava starch ratio and acrylamide content were investigated. The addition of 7,5 % w w{sup −1} acrylamide into the reaction mixture generated a starch graft copolymer with a water absorption in distilled water as high as 460 g g{sup −1} of its dried weight. The effectivity of hydrogel as superabsorbent for aqueous solutions of NaCl and urea was evaluated. The obtained hydrogel showed the maximum absorptions of 317 g g{sup −1} and 523 g g{sup −1} for NaCl and urea solution, respectively (relative to its own dry weight). The structure of the graft copolymer was analyzed by using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM)

  4. Wound healing properties of PVA/starch/chitosan hydrogel membranes with nano Zinc oxide as antibacterial wound dressing material.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Baghaie, Shaghayegh; Khorasani, Mohammad T; Zarrabi, Ali; Moshtaghian, Jamal

    2017-12-01

    In this work, hydrogel membranes were developed based on poly vinyl alcohol (PVA), starch (St), and chitosan (Cs) hydrogels with nano Zinc oxide (nZnO). PVA/St/Cs/nZnO hydrogel membranes were prepared by freezing-thawing cycles, and the aqueous PVA/St solutions were prepared by dissolving PVA in distilled water. After the dissolution of PVA, starch was mixed, and the mixture was stirred. Then, chitosan powder was added into acetic acid, and the mixture was stirred to form a chitosan solution. Subsequently, Cs, St and PVA solutions were blended together to form a homogeneous PVA/St/Cs ternary blend solution. Measurement of Equilibrium Swelling Ratio (ESR), Water Vapor Transmission Test (WVTR), mechanical properties, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), MTT [3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide] assay, antibacterial studies, in vivo wound healing effect and histopathology of the hydrogel membranes were then performed. The examination revealed that the hydrogel membranes were more effective as a wound dressing in the early stages of wound healing and that the gel could be used in topic applications requiring a large spectrum of antibacterial activity; namely, as a bandage for wound dressing.

  5. Radiation Synthesis and Application of Carboxymethylated Chitosan Hydrogels

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Noh, Young Chang

    2007-08-15

    This research proposal is to investigate radiation effect of carboxymethylated chitosan in order to obtain the crosslinked carboxymethylated chitosan. The application studies on CM-chitosan- based intelligent hydrogels will be tried too. Chitin is the most abundant natural amino polysaccharide and estimated to be produced annually almost as much as cellulose. Chitosan is the deacetylated product of chitin showing the enhanced solubility in dilute acids, further, carboxymethylated chitosan (CM-chitosan) can solve in both acidic and basic physiological media, which might be good candidates as a kind of biomedical materials. Radiation technique is an important method for modification of chitin derivatives. It includes radiation-induced degradation, grafting, and crosslinking. It was found that CM-chitosan degraded in solid state or dilute aqueous solution under irradiation, but crosslinked at paste-like sate when the concentration of CM-chitosan is more than 10%. Both degraded and crosslinked CM-chitosan have antibacterial activity, so it is essential to investigate in detail the radiation effect of CM-chitosan. Study on radiation effect of CM-chitosan in different condition is beneficial to modification of CM-chitosan by irradiation technique. However, little study was reported on radiation crosslinking and application of CM-chitosan. The radiation-closslinked CM-chitosan synthesized from chitosan was characterized by a Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) analysis. A kinetic swelling in water and the mechanical properties such as a gelation, water absorptivity, and gel strength were also investigated. For the preparation of crosslinked CM-chitosan by using gamma irradiation, the concentration of an aqueous CM-chitosan is above 10wt%. We confirmed that the gel contents was in the range of 15-63%, and when the irradiation dose was increased, the degree of gelation was decreased by disintegration of the CM-chitosan. In conclusion, we developed a new

  6. Radiation Synthesis and Application of Carboxymethylated Chitosan Hydrogels

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Noh, Young Chang

    2007-08-01

    This research proposal is to investigate radiation effect of carboxymethylated chitosan in order to obtain the crosslinked carboxymethylated chitosan. The application studies on CM-chitosan- based intelligent hydrogels will be tried too. Chitin is the most abundant natural amino polysaccharide and estimated to be produced annually almost as much as cellulose. Chitosan is the deacetylated product of chitin showing the enhanced solubility in dilute acids, further, carboxymethylated chitosan (CM-chitosan) can solve in both acidic and basic physiological media, which might be good candidates as a kind of biomedical materials. Radiation technique is an important method for modification of chitin derivatives. It includes radiation-induced degradation, grafting, and crosslinking. It was found that CM-chitosan degraded in solid state or dilute aqueous solution under irradiation, but crosslinked at paste-like sate when the concentration of CM-chitosan is more than 10%. Both degraded and crosslinked CM-chitosan have antibacterial activity, so it is essential to investigate in detail the radiation effect of CM-chitosan. Study on radiation effect of CM-chitosan in different condition is beneficial to modification of CM-chitosan by irradiation technique. However, little study was reported on radiation crosslinking and application of CM-chitosan. The radiation-closslinked CM-chitosan synthesized from chitosan was characterized by a Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) analysis. A kinetic swelling in water and the mechanical properties such as a gelation, water absorptivity, and gel strength were also investigated. For the preparation of crosslinked CM-chitosan by using gamma irradiation, the concentration of an aqueous CM-chitosan is above 10wt%. We confirmed that the gel contents was in the range of 15-63%, and when the irradiation dose was increased, the degree of gelation was decreased by disintegration of the CM-chitosan. In conclusion, we developed a new

  7. Design of Decorated Self-Assembling Peptide Hydrogels as Architecture for Mesenchymal Stem Cells

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Annj Zamuner

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available Hydrogels from self-assembling ionic complementary peptides have been receiving a lot of interest from the scientific community as mimetic of the extracellular matrix that can offer three-dimensional supports for cell growth or can become vehicles for the delivery of stem cells, drugs or bioactive proteins. In order to develop a 3D “architecture” for mesenchymal stem cells, we propose the introduction in the hydrogel of conjugates obtained by chemoselective ligation between a ionic-complementary self-assembling peptide (called EAK and three different bioactive molecules: an adhesive sequence with 4 Glycine-Arginine-Glycine-Aspartic Acid-Serine-Proline (GRGDSP motifs per chain, an adhesive peptide mapped on h-Vitronectin and the growth factor Insulin-like Growth Factor-1 (IGF-1. The mesenchymal stem cell adhesion assays showed a significant increase in adhesion and proliferation for the hydrogels decorated with each of the synthesized conjugates; moreover, such functionalized 3D hydrogels support cell spreading and elongation, validating the use of this class of self-assembly peptides-based material as very promising 3D model scaffolds for cell cultures, at variance of the less realistic 2D ones. Furthermore, small amplitude oscillatory shear tests showed that the presence of IGF-1-conjugate did not alter significantly the viscoelastic properties of the hydrogels even though differences were observed in the nanoscale structure of the scaffolds obtained by changing their composition, ranging from long, well-defined fibers for conjugates with adhesion sequences to the compact and dense film for the IGF-1-conjugate.

  8. A phytomodulatory hydrogel with enhanced healing effects.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Vasconcelos, Mirele S; Souza, Tamiris F G; Figueiredo, Ingrid S; Sousa, Emília T; Sousa, Felipe D; Moreira, Renato A; Alencar, Nylane M N; Lima-Filho, José V; Ramos, Márcio V

    2018-04-01

    The healing performance of a hydrogel composed of hemicelluloses extracted from seeds of Caesalpinia pulcherrima (Fabaceae) and mixed with phytomodulatory proteins obtained from the latex of Calotropis procera was characterized on excisional wounds. The hydrogel did not induce dermal irritability. When topically used on excisional wounds, the hydrogel enhanced healing by wound contraction. Histology and the measurement of inflammatory mediators (myeloperoxidase, interleukin-1β, and interleukin-6) suggested that the inflammatory phase of the healing process was intensified, stimulating fibroplasia and neovascularization (proliferative phase) and tissue remodeling by increasing new collagen fiber deposition. In addition, reduction on levels of malondialdehyde in the groups that the hydrogel was applied suggested that the oxidative stress was reduced. The hydrogel performed better than the reference drug used, as revealed by the extended thickness of the remodeled epithelium. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  9. Biocompatible Porous Polyester-Ether Hydrogel Scaffolds with Cross-Linker Mediated Biodegradation and Mechanical Properties for Tissue Augmentation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Berkay Ozcelik

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available Porous polyester-ether hydrogel scaffolds (PEHs were fabricated using acid chloride/alcohol chemistry and a salt templating approach. The PEHs were produced from readily available and cheap commercial reagents via the reaction of hydroxyl terminated poly(ethylene glycol (PEG derivatives with sebacoyl, succinyl, or trimesoyl chloride to afford ester cross-links between the PEG chains. Through variation of the acid chloride cross-linkers used in the synthesis and the incorporation of a hydrophobic modifier (poly(caprolactone (PCL, it was possible to tune the degradation rates and mechanical properties of the resulting hydrogels. Several of the hydrogel formulations displayed exceptional mechanical properties, remaining elastic without fracture at compressive strains of up to 80%, whilst still displaying degradation over a period of weeks to months. A subcutaneous rat model was used to study the scaffolds in vivo and revealed that the PEHs were infiltrated with well vascularised tissue within two weeks and had undergone significant degradation in 16 weeks without any signs of toxicity. Histological evaluation for immune responses revealed that the PEHs incite only a minor inflammatory response that is reduced over 16 weeks with no evidence of adverse effects.

  10. Pseudopeptide-Based Hydrogels Trapping Methylene Blue and Eosin Y.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Milli, Lorenzo; Zanna, Nicola; Merlettini, Andrea; Di Giosia, Matteo; Calvaresi, Matteo; Focarete, Maria Letizia; Tomasini, Claudia

    2016-08-16

    We present herein the preparation of four different hydrogels based on the pseudopeptide gelator Fmoc-l-Phe-d-Oxd-OH (Fmoc=fluorenylmethyloxycarbonyl), either by changing the gelator concentration or adding graphene oxide (GO) to the water solution. The hydrogels have been analysed by rheological studies that demonstrated that pure hydrogels are slightly stronger compared to GO-loaded hydrogels. Then the hydrogels efficiency to trap the cationic methylene blue (MB) and anionic eosin Y (EY) dyes has been analyzed. MB is efficiently trapped by both the pure hydrogel and the GO-loaded hydrogel through π-π interactions and electrostatic interactions. In contrast, the removal of the anionic EY is achieved in less satisfactory yields, due to the unfavourable electrostatic interactions between the dye, the gelator and GO. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  11. Development of hydrogels composites for potential use as biomaterials

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Silva, Gabriela T. da; Alves, Natali O.; Schulz, Gracelie A.S.; Fajardo, Andre R.

    2015-01-01

    Hydrogels, three-dimensional polymer networks that can absorb and retain impressive amounts of liquid, have shown a remarkable evolution in the past years. Since their first description, the hydrogels have replaced their inert characteristic by smart properties, which help enlarging the range of applicability of such soft materials in different fields. Hydrogels had been prepared from various polymers (including synthetic or natural or both), which allows obtaining materials with unique and desirable properties. This work deals with the preparation of hydrogels and hydrogel composites based on a synthetic/natural hybrid polymer network filled with bovine bone powder, which is composed mainly by hydroxyapatite (as inorganic phase) and collagen (as organic phase). The resulting materials were characterized by DRX, FTIR and TGA analyses. Additionally, water uptake capacity was estimated for both hydrogels and hydrogels composites samples by swelling assays. (author)

  12. HYDROXYETHYL METHACRYLATE BASED NANOCOMPOSITE HYDROGELS WITH TUNABLE PORE ARCHITECTURE

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Erhan Bat

    2016-10-01

    Full Text Available Hydroxyethyl methacrylate (HEMA based hydrogels have found increasing number of applications in areas such as chromatographic separations, controlled drug release, biosensing, and membrane separations. In all these applications, the pore size and pore interconnectivity are crucial for successful application of these materials as they determine the rate of diffusion through the matrix. 2-Hydroxyethyl methacrylate is a water soluble monomer but its polymer, polyHEMA, is not soluble in water. Therefore, during polymerization of HEMA in aqueous media, a porous structure is obtained as a result of phase separation. Pore size and interconnectivity in these hydrogels is a function of several variables such as monomer concentration, cross-linker concentration, temperature etc. In this study, we investigated the effect of monomer concentration, graphene oxide addition or clay addition on hydrogel pore size, pore interconnectivity, water uptake, and thermal properties. PolyHEMA hydrogels have been prepared by redox initiated free radical polymerization of the monomer using ethylene glycol dimethacrylate as a cross-linker. As a nanofiller, a synthetic hectorite Laponite® XLG and graphene oxide were used. Graphene oxide was prepared by the Tour Method. Pore morphology of the pristine HEMA based hydrogels and nanocomposite hydrogels were studied by scanning electron microscopy. The formed hydrogels were found to be highly elastic and flexible. A dramatic change in the pore structure and size was observed in the range between 22 to 24 wt/vol monomer at 0.5 % of cross-linker. In this range, the hydrogel morphology changes from typical cauliflower architecture to continuous hydrogel with dispersed water droplets forming the pores where the pores are submicron in size and show an interconnected structure. Such controlled pore structure is highly important when these hydrogels are used for solute diffusion or when there’s flow through monolithic hydrogels

  13. Processing Techniques and Applications of Silk Hydrogels in Bioengineering

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Michael Floren

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Hydrogels are an attractive class of tunable material platforms that, combined with their structural and functional likeness to biological environments, have a diversity of applications in bioengineering. Several polymers, natural and synthetic, can be used, the material selection being based on the required functional characteristics of the prepared hydrogels. Silk fibroin (SF is an attractive natural polymer for its excellent processability, biocompatibility, controlled degradation, mechanical properties and tunable formats and a good candidate for the fabrication of hydrogels. Tremendous effort has been made to control the structural and functional characteristic of silk hydrogels, integrating novel biological features with advanced processing techniques, to develop the next generation of functional SF hydrogels. Here, we review the several processing methods developed to prepare advanced SF hydrogel formats, emphasizing a bottom-up approach beginning with critical structural characteristics of silk proteins and their behavior under specific gelation environments. Additionally, the preparation of SF hydrogel blends and other advanced formats will also be discussed. We conclude with a brief description of the attractive utility of SF hydrogels in relevant bioengineering applications.

  14. Optimizing Double-Network Hydrogel for Biomedical Soft Robots.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Banerjee, Hritwick; Ren, Hongliang

    2017-09-01

    Double-network hydrogel with standardized chemical parameters demonstrates a reasonable and viable alternative to silicone in soft robotic fabrication due to its biocompatibility, comparable mechanical properties, and customizability through the alterations of key variables. The most viable hydrogel sample in our article shows tensile strain of 851% and maximum tensile strength of 0.273 MPa. The elasticity and strength range of this hydrogel can be customized according to application requirements by simple alterations in the recipe. Furthermore, we incorporated Agar/PAM hydrogel into our highly constrained soft pneumatic actuator (SPA) design and eventually produced SPAs with escalated capabilities, such as larger range of motion, higher force output, and power efficiency. Incorporating SPAs made of Agar/PAM hydrogel resulted in low viscosity, thermos-reversibility, and ultralow elasticity, which we believe can help to combine with the other functions of hydrogel, tailoring a better solution for fabricating biocompatible soft robots.

  15. Self-Assembled Hydrogel Nanoparticles for Drug Delivery Applications

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Miguel Gama

    2010-02-01

    Full Text Available Hydrogel nanoparticles—also referred to as polymeric nanogels or macromolecular micelles—are emerging as promising drug carriers for therapeutic applications. These nanostructures hold versatility and properties suitable for the delivery of bioactive molecules, namely of biopharmaceuticals. This article reviews the latest developments in the use of self-assembled polymeric nanogels for drug delivery applications, including small molecular weight drugs, proteins, peptides, oligosaccharides, vaccines and nucleic acids. The materials and techniques used in the development of self-assembling nanogels are also described.

  16. E-beam crosslinked, biocompatible functional hydrogels incorporating polyaniline nanoparticles

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Dispenza, C.; Sabatino, M.A.; Niconov, A.; Chmieliewska, D.; Spadaro, G.

    2011-01-01

    Complete text of publication follows. Objective of this research is to develop a functional soft nanocomposites platform that combines the electro-optic properties of conjugated polymer nanoparticles with process flexibility, highly hydrophilic character, 3D structure and biocompatibility of hydrogels, to yield novel soft materials with multi-application potential in diagnostic, therapeutic and regenerative medicine. PANI aqueous nanocolloids in their acid doped, inherently conductive form, are synthesised by means of suitable polymeric stabilisers, i.e. water soluble polymers, that may prevent irreversible PANI particles coalescence and precipitation during synthesis and upon storage. Depending on the nature nad concentration of the polymeric stabiliser, e.g. polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP), polyvinylalcohol (PVA) or chitosan (CT), PANI has been synthesised in form of nanoscalar rods, spherical particles or rice grains, respectively. In the present work, e-beam irradiation with a 12 MeV Linac accelerator has been tested, in alternative to gamma-rays, as a viable industrial methodology to generate hydrogel nanocomposites via in-situ crosslinking of the polymers already used to stabilise polyaniline nanocolloids, at low temperature, with no recourse to further addition of molecular weight chemicals and in a few minutes. In these conditions nanoparticles morphology of PANI should be preserved and interesting electro-optical properties can be imparted. The swelling properties of the different hydrogel nanocomposites have been investigated at the variance of the chemical structure of the matrix material and of the pH of the swelling medium. UV-visible absorption and fluorescence spectroscopies demonstrate the retained optical activity of the dispersed PANI nanoparticles when incorporated in the hydrogels. Selected formulations have been also subjected to MTT assays and absence of cytotoxicity has been ascertained as the first necessary step to assess their biocompatibility.

  17. Smart Magnetically Responsive Hydrogel Nanoparticles Prepared by a Novel Aerosol-Assisted Method for Biomedical and Drug Delivery Applications

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ibrahim M. El-Sherbiny

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available We have developed a novel spray gelation-based method to synthesize a new series of magnetically responsive hydrogel nanoparticles for biomedical and drug delivery applications. The method is based on the production of hydrogel nanoparticles from sprayed polymeric microdroplets obtained by an air-jet nebulization process that is immediately followed by gelation in a crosslinking fluid. Oligoguluronate (G-blocks was prepared through the partial acid hydrolysis of sodium alginate. PEG-grafted chitosan was also synthesized and characterized (FTIR, EA, and DSC. Then, magnetically responsive hydrogel nanoparticles based on alginate and alginate/G-blocks were synthesized via aerosolization followed by either ionotropic gelation or both ionotropic and polyelectrolyte complexation using CaCl2 or PEG-g-chitosan/CaCl2 as crosslinking agents, respectively. Particle size and dynamic swelling were determined using dynamic light scattering (DLS and microscopy. Surface morphology of the nanoparticles was examined using SEM. The distribution of magnetic cores within the hydrogels nanoparticles was also examined using TEM. In addition, the iron and calcium contents of the particles were estimated using EDS. Spherical magnetic hydrogel nanoparticles with average particle size of 811 ± 162 to 941 ± 2 nm were obtained. This study showed that the developed method is promising for the manufacture of hydrogel nanoparticles, and it represents a relatively simple and potential low-cost system.

  18. Effects of charge-carrying amino acids on the gelatinization and retrogradation properties of potato starch.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Wenting; Zhou, Hongxian; Yang, Hong; Cui, Min

    2015-01-15

    The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of charge-carrying amino acids (lysine (Lys), arginine (Arg), aspartic acid (Asp) and glutamic acid (Glu)) on the gelatinization and retrogradation properties of potato starch. Acidic amino acids (Asp and Glu) showed a decreasing trend in swelling power and granule size of potato starch, but increased amylose leaching and gelatinization temperature. Alkaline amino acid (Arg) showed an increasing trend in swelling power and granule size of potato starch, but decreasing amylose leaching and gelatinization temperature. Lys had no effect on the swelling power of potato starch, except at a high content (0.2 mol/kg). Like other two acidic amino acids, Lys also increased gelatinization temperature. Moreover, the addition of alkaline amino acids (Arg) decreased syneresis value of potato starch but acidic amino acids (Asp and Glu) increased it. Compared to Arg, the syneresis of potato starch with Lys was similar to that of its native starch. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. Hydrogels containing redispersible spray-dried melatonin-loaded nanocapsules: a formulation for transdermal-controlled delivery

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hoffmeister, Cristiane RD; Durli, Taís L.; Schaffazick, Scheila R.; Raffin, Renata P.; Bender, Eduardo A.; Beck, Ruy CR; Pohlmann, Adriana R.; Guterres, Sílvia S.

    2012-05-01

    The aim of the present study was to develop a transdermal system for controlled delivery of melatonin combining three strategies: nanoencapsulation of melatonin, drying of melatonin-loaded nanocapsules, and incorporation of nanocapsules in a hydrophilic gel. Nanocapsules were prepared by interfacial deposition of the polymer and were spray-dried using water-soluble excipients. In vitro drug release profiles were evaluated by the dialysis bag method, and skin permeation studies were carried out using Franz cells with porcine skin as the membrane. The use of 10% ( w/ v) water-soluble excipients (lactose or maltodextrin) as spray-drying adjuvants furnished redispersible powders (redispersibility index approximately 1.0) suitable for incorporation into hydrogels. All formulations showed a better controlled in vitro release of melatonin compared with the melatonin solution. The best controlled release results were achieved with hydrogels prepared with dried nanocapsules (hydrogels > redispersed dried nanocapsules > nanocapsule suspension > melatonin solution). The skin permeation studies demonstrated a significant modulation of the transdermal melatonin permeation for hydrogels prepared with redispersible nanocapsules. In this way, the additive effect of the different approaches used in this study (nanoencapsulation, spray-drying, and preparation of semisolid dosage forms) allows not only the control of melatonin release, but also transdermal permeation.

  20. Hydrogel based QCM aptasensor for detection of avian influenza virus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Ronghui; Li, Yanbin

    2013-04-15

    The objective of this study was to develop a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) aptasensor based on ssDNA crosslinked polymeric hydrogel for rapid, sensitive and specific detection of avian influenza virus (AIV) H5N1. A selected aptamer with high affinity and specificity against AIV H5N1 surface protein was used, and hybridization between the aptamer and ssDNA formed the crosslinker in the polymer hydrogel. The aptamer hydrogel was immobilized on the gold surface of QCM sensor using a self-assembled monolayer method. The hydrogel remained in the state of shrink if no H5N1 virus was present in the sample because of the crosslinking between the aptamer and ssDNA in the polymer network. When it exposed to target virus, the binding reaction between the aptamer and H5N1 virus caused the dissolution of the linkage between the aptamer and ssDNA, resulting in the abrupt swelling of the hydrogel. The swollen hydrogel was monitored by the QCM sensor in terms of decreased frequency. Three polymeric hydrogels with different ratio (100:1 hydrogel I, 10:1 hydrogel II, 1:1 hydrogel III) of acrylamide and the aptamer monomer were synthesized, respectively, and then were used as the QCM sensor coating material. The results showed that the developed hydrogel QCM aptasensor was capable of detecting target H5N1 virus, and among the three developed aptamer hydrogels, hydrogel III coated QCM aptasensor achieved the highest sensitivity with the detection limit of 0.0128 HAU (HA unit). The total detection time from sampling to detection was only 30 min. In comparison with the anti-H5 antibody coated QCM immunosensor, the hydrogel QCM aptasensor lowered the detection limit and reduced the detection time. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  1. Natural fibers for hydrogels production and their applications in agriculture

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Liliana Serna Cock

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available This paper presents a review on hydrogels applied to agriculture emphasizing on the use of natural fibers. The objectives were to examine, trends in research addressed to identify natural fibers used in hydrogels development and methods for modifying natural fibers, understand factors which determine the water retention capacity of a hydrogel. Consequently, this paper shows some methodologies used to evaluate the hydrogels efficiency and to collect in tables, relevant information in relation to methods of natural fibers modification and hydrogel synthesis. It was found that previous research focused on hydrogels development processed with biodegradable polymers such as starch, chitosan and modified natural fibers, cross-linked with potassium acrylate and acrylamide, respectively. In addition, current researches aimed to obtaining hydrogels with improved properties, which have allowed a resistance to climatic variations and soil physicochemical changes, such as pH, presence of salts, temperature and composition. In fact, natural fibers such as sugarcane, agave fiber and kapok fiber, modified with maleic anhydride, are an alternative to obtain hydrogels due to an increasing of mechanical properties and chemically active sites. However, the use of natural nanofibers in hydrogels, has been a successful proposal to improve hydrogels mechanical and swelling properties, since they give to material an elasticity and rigidity properties. A hydrogel efficiency applied to soil, is measured throughout properties as swellability, mechanical strength, and soil water retention. It was concluded that hydrogels, are an alternative to the current needs for the agricultural sector.

  2. Biomimetic Membrane Arrays on Cast Hydrogel Supports

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Roerdink-Lander, Monique; Ibragimova, Sania; Rein Hansen, Christian

    2011-01-01

    , provides mechanical support but at the cost of small molecule transport through the membrane−support sandwich. To stabilize biomimetic membranes while allowing transport through a membrane−support sandwich, we have investigated the feasibility of using an ethylene tetrafluoroethylene (ETFE......)/hydrogel sandwich as the support. The sandwich is realized as a perforated surface-treated ETFE film onto which a hydrogel composite support structure is cast. We report a simple method to prepare arrays of lipid bilayer membranes with low intrinsic electrical conductance on the highly permeable, self......-supporting ETFE/hydrogel sandwiches. We demonstrate how the ETFE/hydrogel sandwich support promotes rapid self-thinning of lipid bilayers suitable for hosting membrane-spanning proteins....

  3. Computational Study of pH-sensitive Hydrogel-based Microfluidic Flow Controllers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kurnia, Jundika C.; Birgersson, Erik; Mujumdar, Arun S.

    2011-01-01

    This computational study investigates the sensing and actuating behavior of a pH-sensitive hydrogel-based microfluidic flow controller. This hydrogel-based flow controller has inherent advantage in its unique stimuli-sensitive properties, removing the need for an external power supply. The predicted swelling behavior the hydrogel is validated with steady-state and transient experiments. We then demonstrate how the model is implemented to study the sensing and actuating behavior of hydrogels for different microfluidic flow channel/hydrogel configurations: e.g., for flow in a T-junction with single and multiple hydrogels. In short, the results suggest that the response of the hydrogel-based flow controller is slow. Therefore, two strategies to improve the response rate of the hydrogels are proposed and demonstrated. Finally, we highlight that the model can be extended to include other stimuli-responsive hydrogels such as thermo-, electric-, and glucose-sensitive hydrogels. PMID:24956303

  4. Formation of carboxymethyl cellulose hydrogel containing silver nanoparticle

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Park, Jong Seok; Kuang, Jia; Gwon, Hui Jeong; Lim, Youn Mook; Nho, Young Chang [Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Jeongeup (Korea, Republic of)

    2010-12-15

    Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) can be used in the areas such as integrate circuit, cell electrode and antimicrobial deodorant. In this study, AgNPs have been prepared by using AgNO{sub 3} aqueous solution in the carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) hydrogel. CMC powders were dissolved in deionized water, and then irradiated by a gamma-ray with a radiation dose of 50 kGy to make CMC hydrogel. CMC hydrogels were dipped into 1.0 x 10{sup -2} M AgNO{sub 3} solution for 1 hour. After that, the swollen hydrogels were irradiated by gamma-ray for the formation of AgNPs. The characteristics of silver nanoparticles in the CMC hydrogels were monitored by UV-Vis and the morphological study and dispersed coefficient of particles were investigated by FE-SEM/EDX. It was observed that the sodium salt in the CMC is crucial to the formation of silver nanoparticle. Finally, antibacterial tests indiacted that the hydrogel containing silver nanoparticle has antibacterial activity.

  5. Hydrogels and their medical applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rosiak, Janusz M.; Yoshii, Fumio

    1999-05-01

    Biomaterials play a key role in most approaches for engineering tissues as substitutes for functional replacement, for components of devices related to therapy and diagnosis, for drug delivery systems and supportive scaffolds for guided tissue growth. Modern biomaterials could be composed of various components, e.g. metals, ceramics, natural tissues, polymers. In this last group, the hydrogels, hydrophilic polymeric gels with requested biocompatibility and designed interaction with living surrounding seem to be one of the most promising group of biomaterials. Especially, if they are formed by means of ionizing radiation. In early 1950s, the pioneers of the radiation chemistry of polymers began some experiments with radiation crosslinking of hydrophilic polymers. However, hydrogels were analyzed mainly from the point of view of the phenomenon associated with radiation synthesis, with topology of network and relation between radiation parameters of the processes. Fundamental monographs on radiation polymer physics and chemistry written by A. Charlesby (Atomic Radition and polymers, Pergamon Press, Oxford, 1960) and A. Chapiro (Radiation Chemistry of Polymeric Systems, Interscience, New York, 1962) proceed from this time. The noticeable interest in the application of radiation techniques to obtain hydrogels for biomedical purposes began in the late sixties as a result of the papers and patents invented by Japanese and American scientists, headed by Kaetsu in Japan and Hoffman in USA. Immobilization of biologically active species in hydrogel matrices, their use as drug delivery systems and enzyme traps as well as the modification of material surfaces to improve biocompatibility and their ability to bond antigens and antibodies had been the main subjects of these investigations. In this article a brief summary of investigations on mechanism and kinetics of radiation formation of hydrogels as well as some examples of commercialized hydrogel biomaterials have been

  6. Hydrogels and their medical applications

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Rosiak, Janusz M.; Yoshii, Fumio

    1999-01-01

    Biomaterials play a key role in most approaches for engineering tissues as substitutes for functional replacement, for components of devices related to therapy and diagnosis, for drug delivery systems and supportive scaffolds for guided tissue growth. Modern biomaterials could be composed of various components, e.g. metals, ceramics, natural tissues, polymers. In this last group, the hydrogels, hydrophilic polymeric gels with requested biocompatibility and designed interaction with living surrounding seem to be one of the most promising group of biomaterials. Especially, if they are formed by means of ionizing radiation. In early 1950s, the pioneers of the radiation chemistry of polymers began some experiments with radiation crosslinking of hydrophilic polymers. However, hydrogels were analyzed mainly from the point of view of the phenomenon associated with radiation synthesis, with topology of network and relation between radiation parameters of the processes. Fundamental monographs on radiation polymer physics and chemistry written by A. Charlesby (Atomic Radition and polymers, Pergamon Press, Oxford, 1960) and A. Chapiro (Radiation Chemistry of Polymeric Systems, Interscience, New York, 1962) proceed from this time. The noticeable interest in the application of radiation techniques to obtain hydrogels for biomedical purposes began in the late sixties as a result of the papers and patents invented by Japanese and American scientists, headed by Kaetsu in Japan and Hoffman in USA. Immobilization of biologically active species in hydrogel matrices, their use as drug delivery systems and enzyme traps as well as the modification of material surfaces to improve biocompatibility and their ability to bond antigens and antibodies had been the main subjects of these investigations. In this article a brief summary of investigations on mechanism and kinetics of radiation formation of hydrogels as well as some examples of commercialized hydrogel biomaterials have been

  7. Surface Friction of Polyacrylamide Hydrogel Particles

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cuccia, Nicholas; Burton, Justin

    Polyacrylamide hydrogel particles have recently become a popular system for modeling low-friction, granular materials near the jamming transition. Because a gel consists of a polymer network filled with solvent, its frictional behavior is often explained using a combination of hydrodynamic lubrication and polymer-surface interactions. As a result, the frictional coefficient can vary between 0.001 and 0.03 depending on several factors such as contact area, sliding velocity, normal force, and the gel surface chemistry. Most tribological measurements of hydrogels utilize two flat surfaces, where the contact area is not well-defined. We have built a custom, low-force tribometer to measure the single-contact frictional properties of spherical hydrogel particles on flat hydrogel surfaces under a variety of measurement conditions. At high velocities (> 1 cm/s), the friction coefficient depends linearly on velocity, but does not tend to zero at zero velocity. We also compare our measurements to solid particles (steel, glass, etc.) on hydrogel surfaces, which exhibit larger frictional forces, and show less dependence on velocity. A physical model for the friction which includes the lubrication layer between the deformed surfaces will be discussed. National Science Foundation Grant No. 1506446.

  8. Charged Triazole Cross-Linkers for Hyaluronan-Based Hybrid Hydrogels

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maike Martini

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Polyelectrolyte hydrogels play an important role in tissue engineering and can be produced from natural polymers, such as the glycosaminoglycan hyaluronan. In order to control charge density and mechanical properties of hyaluronan-based hydrogels, we developed cross-linkers with a neutral or positively charged triazole core with different lengths of spacer arms and two terminal maleimide groups. These cross-linkers react with thiolated hyaluronan in a fast, stoichiometric thio-Michael addition. Introducing a positive charge on the core of the cross-linker enabled us to compare hydrogels with the same interconnectivity, but a different charge density. Positively charged cross-linkers form stiffer hydrogels relatively independent of the size of the cross-linker, whereas neutral cross-linkers only form stable hydrogels at small spacer lengths. These novel cross-linkers provide a platform to tune the hydrogel network charge and thus the mechanical properties of the network. In addition, they might offer a wide range of applications especially in bioprinting for precise design of hydrogels.

  9. Development of sago starch hydrogel for wound dressing

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kamaruddin Hashim; Khairul Zaman HJ. Mohd Dahlan; Kamarudin Bahari [Malaysian Institute for Nuclear Technology Research (MINT), Bangi (Malaysia); Yoshii, Fumio; Kume, Tamikazu [Japan Atomic Energy Research Inst., Takasaki, Gunma (Japan). Takasaki Radiation Chemistry Research Establishment

    2001-03-01

    Sago starch is utilized in Malaysia mainly for food production. The purpose of the research is to diversify the use of sago starch for medical application particularly in development of hydrogel burn wound dressing. The sago starch is blending with mixture of PVP and PVA to improve the degree of crosslink, mechanical properties, swelling ability and tackiness of the blend hydrogel (sago/PVA and sago PVP). Additives have been introduced into the system such as, polypropylene glycol or carboxymethyl cellulose to improved further the swelling ability and tackiness properties of the blend hydrogel as well as other properties. Effect of irradiation dose on the blend hydrogel has also been studied to optimize the effective dose for blend hydrogel and simultaneously for sterilization purpose. (author)

  10. Development of sago starch hydrogel for wound dressing

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kamaruddin Hashim; Khairul Zaman HJ Mohd Dahlan; Kamarudin Bahari; Yoshii, Fumio; Kume, Tamikazu

    2001-01-01

    Sago starch is utilized in Malaysia mainly for food production. The purpose of the research is to diversify the use of sago starch for medical application particularly in development of hydrogel burn wound dressing. The sago starch is blending with mixture of PVP and PVA to improve the degree of crosslink, mechanical properties, swelling ability and tackiness of the blend hydrogel (sago/PVA and sago PVP). Additives have been introduced into the system such as, polypropylene glycol or carboxymethyl cellulose to improved further the swelling ability and tackiness properties of the blend hydrogel as well as other properties. Effect of irradiation dose on the blend hydrogel has also been studied to optimize the effective dose for blend hydrogel and simultaneously for sterilization purpose. (author)

  11. High-water-content mouldable polyvinyl alcohol-borax hydrogels reinforced by well-dispersed cellulose nanoparticles: dynamic rheological properties and hydrogel formation mechanism.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Han, Jingquan; Lei, Tingzhou; Wu, Qinglin

    2014-02-15

    Cellulose nanoparticle (CNP) reinforced polyvinyl alcohol-borax (PB) hydrogels were produced via a facile approach in an aqueous system. The effects of particle size, aspect ratio, crystal structure, and surface charge of CNPs on the rheological properties of the composite hydrogels were investigated. The rheological measurements confirmed the incorporation of well-dispersed CNPs to PB system significantly enhanced the viscoelasticity and stiffness of hydrogels. The obtained free-standing, high elasticity and mouldable hydrogels exhibited self-recovery under continuous step strain and thermo-reversibility under temperature sweep. With the addition of cellulose I nanofibers, a 19-fold increase in the high-frequency plateau of storage modulus was obtained compared with that of the pure PB. CNPs acted as multifunctional crosslinking agents and nanofillers to physically and chemically bridge the 3D network hydrogel. The plausible mechanism for the multi-complexation between CNPs, polyvinyl alcohol and borax was proposed to understand the relationship between the 3D network and hydrogel properties. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Urease immobilized polymer hydrogel: Long-term stability and enhancement of enzymatic activity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kutcherlapati, S N Raju; Yeole, Niranjan; Jana, Tushar

    2016-02-01

    A method has been developed in which an enzyme namely urease was immobilized inside hydrogel matrix to study the stability and enzymatic activity in room temperature (∼27-30°C). This urease coupled hydrogel (UCG) was obtained by amine-acid coupling reaction and this procedure is such that it ensured the wider opening of mobile flap of enzyme active site. A systematic comparison of urea-urease assay and the detailed kinetic data clearly revealed that the urease shows activity for more than a month when stored at ∼27-30°C in case of UCG whereas it becomes inactive in case of free urease (enzyme in buffer solution). The aqueous microenvironment inside the hydrogel, unusual morphological features and thermal behaviour were believed to be the reasons for unexpected behaviour. UCG displayed enzyme activity at basic pH and up to 60°C. UCG showed significant enhancement in activity against thermal degradation compared to free urease. In summary, this method is a suitable process to stabilize the biomacromolecules in standard room temperature for many practical uses. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  13. Artificial phototropism based on a photo-thermo-responsive hydrogel

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gopalakrishna, Hamsini

    Solar energy is leading in renewable energy sources and the aspects surrounding the efforts to harvest light are gaining importance. One such aspect is increasing the light absorption, where heliotropism comes into play. Heliotropism, the ability to track the sun across the sky, can be integrated with solar cells for more efficient photon collection and other optoelectronic systems. Inspired by plants, which optimize incident sunlight in nature, several researchers have made artificial heliotropic and phototropic systems. This project aims to design, synthesize and characterize a material system and evaluate its application in a phototropic system. A gold nanoparticle (Au NP) incorporated poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAAm) hydrogel was synthesized as a photo-thermo-responsive material in our phototropic system. The Au NPs generate heat from the incident via plasmonic resonance to induce a volume phase change of the thermo-responsive hydrogel PNIPAAm. PNIPAAm shrinks or swells at temperature above or below 32°C. Upon irradiation, the Au NP-PNIPAAm micropillar actuates, specifically bending toward the incident light and precisely following the varying incident angle. Swelling ratio tests, bending angle tests with a static incident light and bending tests with varying angles were carried out on hydrogel samples with varying Au NP concentrations. Swelling ratios ranging from 1.45 to 2.9 were recorded for pure hydrogel samples and samples with very low Au NP concentrations. Swelling ratios of 2.41 and 3.37 were calculated for samples with low and high concentrations of Au NPs, respectively. A bending of up to 88° was observed in Au NP-hydrogel pillars with a low Au NP concentration with a 90° incident angle. The light tracking performance was assessed by the slope of the pillar Bending angle (response angle) vs. Incident light angle plot. A slope of 1 indicates ideal tracking with top of the pillar being normal to the incident light, maximizing the photon

  14. Facile construction of terpridine-based metallo-polymers in hydrogels, crystals and solutions directed by metal ions.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Yajuan; Guo, Jiangbo; Dai, Bo; Geng, Lijun; Shen, Fengjuan; Zhang, Yajun; Yu, Xudong

    2018-07-01

    Driven by tunable metal-ligand interactions, a polydentate ligand TC containing terpyridine and carboxylic acid units was developed to construct metallo-polymers that showed multiple aggregation modes with controlled macroscopic properties. In the presence of different kind of Zn 2+ ions or NaOH, TC could form metallo-polymers via π-π stacking and metal-ligand interaction that further trapped water molecules, resulting in hydrogels and crystals. Moreover, these TC/Zn 2+ hydrogels could transform to soluble and fluorescent aggregates in the presence of NaOH due to the formation of binuclear metallo-polymers with enhanced ICT emission. The metal-ligand interactions tuned by different metal salts in gels, crystals, and sols were also studied and illustrated in detail, it was also proved that water was an essential linker for constructing Na + -based metallo-polymers from the TC/NaOH crystal data. This work demonstrated the engineered coordination pathways in generating controllable hydrogels and metallo-polymers for the first time, which led to novel approach for facilely constructing a number of hydrogels with tailorable macroscopic properties. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. Biodegradable Cellulose-based Hydrogels: Design and Applications

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sannino, Alessandro; Demitri, Christian; Madaghiele, Marta

    2009-01-01

    Hydrogels are macromolecular networks able to absorb and release water solutions in a reversible manner, in response to specific environmental stimuli. Such stimuli-sensitive behaviour makes hydrogels appealing for the design of ‘smart’ devices, applicable in a variety of technological fields. In particular, in cases where either ecological or biocompatibility issues are concerned, the biodegradability of the hydrogel network, together with the control of the degradation rate, may provide additional value to the developed device. This review surveys the design and the applications of cellulose-based hydrogels, which are extensively investigated due to the large availability of cellulose in nature, the intrinsic degradability of cellulose and the smart behaviour displayed by some cellulose derivatives.

  16. Biodegradable Cellulose-based Hydrogels: Design and Applications

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marta Madaghiele

    2009-04-01

    Full Text Available Hydrogels are macromolecular networks able to absorb and release water solutions in a reversible manner, in response to specific environmental stimuli. Such stimuli-sensitive behaviour makes hydrogels appealing for the design of ‘smart’ devices, applicable in a variety of technological fields. In particular, in cases where either ecological or biocompatibility issues are concerned, the biodegradability of the hydrogel network, together with the control of the degradation rate, may provide additional value to the developed device. This review surveys the design and the applications of cellulose-based hydrogels, which are extensively investigated due to the large availability of cellulose in nature, the intrinsic degradability of cellulose and the smart behaviour displayed by some cellulose derivatives.

  17. Synthesis of Upconverting Hydrogel Nanocomposites Using Thiol-Ene Click Chemistry: Template for the Formation of Dendrimer-Like Gold Nanoparticle Assemblies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meesaragandla, Brahmaiah; Mahalingam, Venkataramanan

    2015-11-16

    The synthesis of upconverting hydrogel nanocomposites by base-catalyzed thiol-ene click reaction between 10-undecenoic acid capped Yb(3+)/Er(3+)-doped NaYF4 nanoparticles and pentaerythritol tetrakis(3-mercaptopropionate) (PETMP) as tetrathiol monomer is reported. This synthetic strategy for nanocomposite gels is quite different from works where usually the preformed gels are mixed with the nanoparticles. Developing nanocomposites by surface modification of capping ligands would allow tuning and controlling of the separation of the nanoparticles inside the gel network. The hydrogel nanocomposites prepared by thiol-ene click reaction show strong enhancement in luminescence intensity compared to 10-undecenoic acid-capped Yb(3+)/Er(3+)-doped NaYF4 nanoparticles through the upconversion process (under 980 nm laser excitation). The hydrogel nanocomposites display strong swelling characteristics in water resulting in porous structures. Interestingly, the resulting nanocomposite gels act as templates for the synthesis of dendrimer-like Au nanostructures when HAuCl4 is reduced in the presence of the nanocomposite gels. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  18. Hydrogel-based piezoresistive sensor for the detection of ethanol

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    J. Erfkamp

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available This article describes a low-cost sensor for the detection of ethanol in alcoholic beverages, which combines alcohol-sensitive hydrogels based on acrylamide and bisacrylamide and piezoresistive sensors. For reproducible measurements, the reversible swelling and deswelling of the hydrogel were shown via microscopy. The response time of the sensor depends on the swelling kinetics of the hydrogel. The selectivity of the hydrogel was tested in different alcohols. In order to understand the influence of monomer and crosslinker content on the swelling degree and on the sensitivity of the hydrogels, gels with variable concentrations of acrylamide and bisacrylamide were synthesized and characterized in different aqueous solutions with alcohol contents. The first measurements of such hydrogel-based piezoresistive ethanol sensors demonstrated a high sensitivity and a short response time over several measuring cycles.

  19. Dextran/Albumin hydrogel sealant for Dacron(R) vascular prosthesis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lisman, Anna; Butruk, Beata; Wasiak, Iga; Ciach, Tomasz

    2014-05-01

    In this paper, the authors describe a novel type of hydrogel coating prepared from the copolymer of human serum albumin and oxidized dextran. The material was designed as a hydrogel sealant for polyester (Dacron®)-based vascular grafts. Dextran was chosen as a coating material due to its anti-thrombogenic properties. Prepared hydrogels were compared with similar, already known biomaterial made from gelatine with the same cross-linking agent. Obtained hydrogels, prepared from various ratios of oxidized dextran/albumin or oxidized dextran/gelatine, showed different cross-linking densities, which caused differences in swelling, degradation rate and mechanical properties. Permeability tests confirmed the complete tightness of the hydrogel-modified prosthesis. Results showed that application of the hydrogel coating provided leakage-free prosthesis and eliminated the need of pre-clotting.

  20. Evaluation of CO2-based cold sterilization of a model hydrogel.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jiménez, A; Zhang, J; Matthews, M A

    2008-12-15

    The purpose of the present work is to evaluate a novel CO(2)-based cold sterilization process in terms of both its killing efficiency and its effects on the physical properties of a model hydrogel, poly(acrylic acid-co-acrylamide) potassium salt. Suspensions of Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli were prepared for hydration and inoculation of the gel. The hydrogels were treated with supercritical CO(2) (40 degrees C, 27.6 MPa). The amount of bacteria was quantified before and after treatment. With pure CO(2), complete killing of S. aureus and E. coli was achieved for treatment times as low as 60 min. After treatment with CO(2) plus trace amounts of H(2)O(2) at the same experimental conditions, complete bacteria kill was also achieved. For times less than 30 min, incomplete kill was noted. Several physical properties of the gel were evaluated before and after SC-CO(2) treatment. These were largely unaffected by the CO(2) process. Drying curves showed no significant change between treated (pure CO(2) and CO(2) plus 30% H(2)O(2)) and untreated samples. The average equilibrium swelling ratios were also very similar. No changes in the dry hydrogel particle structure were evident from SEM micrographs.

  1. HLC/pullulan and pullulan hydrogels: their microstructure, engineering process and biocompatibility

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Li, Xian [College of chemistry & materials science, Northwest University, Taibai North Road 229, Xi’an, Shaanxi 710069 (China); Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Degradable Biomedical Materials, Department of Chemical Engineering, Northwest University, Taibai North Road 229, Xi’an, Shaanxi 710069 (China); Xue, Wenjiao [Shannxi provincial institute of microbiology, Xi’ an 710043 (China); Liu, Yannan; Li, Weina [Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Degradable Biomedical Materials, Department of Chemical Engineering, Northwest University, Taibai North Road 229, Xi’an, Shaanxi 710069 (China); Fan, Daidi, E-mail: fandaidi@nwu.edu.cn [Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Degradable Biomedical Materials, Department of Chemical Engineering, Northwest University, Taibai North Road 229, Xi’an, Shaanxi 710069 (China); Zhu, Chenhui [Shaanxi Key Laboratory of Degradable Biomedical Materials, Department of Chemical Engineering, Northwest University, Taibai North Road 229, Xi’an, Shaanxi 710069 (China); Wang, Yaoyu, E-mail: wyaoyu@nwu.edu.cn [College of chemistry & materials science, Northwest University, Taibai North Road 229, Xi’an, Shaanxi 710069 (China)

    2016-01-01

    New locally injectable biomaterials that are suitable for use as soft tissue fillers are needed to address a significant unmet medical need. In this study, we used pullulan and human-like collagen (HLC) based hydrogels with various molecular weights (MWs) in combination therapy against tissue defects. Briefly, pullulan was crosslinked with NaIO{sub 4} to form a pullulan hydrogel and then may coupled with HLC using the reaction between the –NH{sub 2} end-group of HLC and the –CHO group present on the aldehyde pullulan to form the HLC/pullulan hydrogel, wherein the NaIO{sub 4} acted as the crosslinking and oxidizing agent. The good miscibility of pullulan and HLC in the hydrogels was confirmed via Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, compression testing, enzyme degradation testing, cell adhesions, live/dead staining and subcutaneous filling assays. Here, pullulan hydrogels with various MWs were fabricated and physicochemically characterized. Limitations of the pullulan hydrogels included inflammation, poor mechanical strength, and degradation. By contrast, the properties of the HLC/pullulan hydrogels strongly enhanced. The efficacy of these hydrogels was evaluated both in vitro and in vivo. Our results indicate that HLC/pullulan hydrogels may have therapeutic value as efficient soft tissue fillers, with reduced inflammation, improved cell adhesion and delayed hydrogel degradation. - Graphical abstract: The HLC/pullulan hydrogels were prepared by dialysis, wet granulation and UV radiation after various MWs of pullulan and HLC were crosslinked with NaIO{sub 4}, and injected subcutaneously into Kunming mouse. The formation of HLC/pullulan hydrogels is due to the amide bond linkage with the amino group of HLC and the aldehyde groups in pullulan aqueous media after crosslinking by NaIO{sub 4}. HLC/pullulan hydrogels may have therapeutic value as efficient soft tissue fillers, with reduced inflammation, improved cell adhesion and

  2. Adsorption of ammonium and phosphate by feather protein based semi-interpenetrating polymer networks hydrogel as a controlled-release fertilizer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Su, Yuan; Liu, Jia; Yue, Qinyan; Li, Qian; Gao, Baoyu

    2014-01-01

    A new feather protein-grafted poly(potassium acrylate)/polyvinyl alcohol (FP-g-PKA/PVA) semi-interpenetrating polymer networks (semi-IPNs) hydrogel was produced through graft copolymerization with FP as a basic macromolecular skeletal material, acrylic acid as a monomer and PVA as a semi-IPNs polymer. The adsorption of ammonium and phosphate ions from aqueous solution using the new hydrogel as N and P controlled-release fertilizer with water-retention capacity was studied. The effects of pH value, concentration, contact time and ion strength on NH4+ and PO3-4 removal by FP-g-PKA/PVA semi-IPNs hydrogel were investigated using batch adsorption experiments. The results indicated that the hydrogel had high adsorption capacities and fast adsorption rates for NH4+ and PO3-4 in wide pH levels ranging from 4.0 to 9.0. Kinetic analysis presented that both NH4+ and PO3-4 removal were closely fitted with the pseudo-second-order model. Furthermore, the adsorption isotherms of hydrogel were best represented by the Freundlich model. The adsorption-desorption experimental results showed the sustainable stability of FP-g-PKA/PVA semi-IPNs hydrogel for NH4+ and PO3-4 removal. Overall, FP-g-PKA/PVA could be considered as an efficient material for the removal and recovery of nitrogen and phosphorus with the agronomic reuse as a fertilizer.

  3. Evaluating a simple blending approach to prepare magnetic and stimuli-responsive composite hydrogel particles for application in biomedical field

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    H. Ahmad

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available The inclusion of super paramagnetic iron oxide (Fe3O4 nanoparticles in stimuli-responsive hydrogel is expected to enhance the application potential for cellular therapy in cell labeling, separation and purification, protein immobilization, contrasting enhancement in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI, localized therapeutic hyperthermia, biosensors etc. in biomedical field. In this investigation two different magnetic and stimuli-responsive composite hydrogel particles with variable surface property were prepared by simply blending Fe3O4/SiO2 nanocomposite particles with stimuli-responsive hydrogel particles. Of the hydrogel particles prepared by free-radical precipitation polymerization poly(styrene-N-isopropylacrylamide-methyl methacrylate-polyethylene glycol methacrylate or P(S-NIPAM-MMA-PEGMA was temperature-sensitive and poly(S-NIPAM-methacrylic acid-PEGMA or P(S-NIPAM-MAA-PEGMA was both temperature- and pH-responsive. The morphological structure, size distributions and volume phase transitions of magnetic and stimuli-responsive composite hydrogel particles were analyzed. Temperature-responsive absorptions of biomolecules were observed on both magnetic and stimuli-responsive Fe3O4/SiO2/P(S-NIPAM-MMA-PEGMA and Fe3O4/SiO2/P(S-NIPAM-MAA-PEGMA composite hydrogel particles and separation of particles from the dispersion media could be achieved by applying magnetic field without time consuming centrifugation or decantation method.

  4. The effect of glutathione as chain transfer agent in PNIPAAm-based thermo-responsive hydrogels for controlled release of proteins.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Drapala, Pawel W; Jiang, Bin; Chiu, Yu-Chieh; Mieler, William F; Brey, Eric M; Kang-Mieler, Jennifer J; Pérez-Luna, Victor H

    2014-03-01

    To control degradation and protein release using thermo-responsive hydrogels for localized delivery of anti-angiogenic proteins. Thermo-responsive hydrogels derived from N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAAm) and crosslinked with poly(ethylene glycol)-co-(L-lactic acid) diacrylate (Acry-PLLA-b-PEG-b-PLLA-Acry) were synthesized via free radical polymerization in the presence of glutathione, a chain transfer agent (CTA) added to modulate their degradation and release properties. Immunoglobulin G (IgG) and the recombinant proteins Avastin® and Lucentis® were encapsulated in these hydrogels and their release was studied. The encapsulation efficiency of IgG was high (75-87%) and decreased with CTA concentration. The transition temperature of these hydrogels was below physiological temperature, which is important for minimally invasive therapies involving these materials. The toxicity from unreacted monomers and free radical initiators was eliminated with a minimum of three buffer extractions. Addition of CTA accelerated degradation and resulted in complete protein release. Glutathione caused the degradation products to become solubilized even at 37°C. Hydrogels prepared without glutathione did not disintegrate nor released protein completely after 3 weeks at 37°C. PEGylation of IgG postponed the burst release effect. Avastin® and Lucentis® released from degraded hydrogels retained their biological activity. These systems offer a promising platform for the localized delivery of proteins.

  5. Controlled release fertilizers using superabsorbent hydrogel prepared by gamma radiation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Elbarbary, Ahmed M.; Ghobashy, Mohamed Mohamady

    2017-01-01

    Superabsorbent hydrogels (PVP/CMC) based on polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)/carboxylmethyl cellulose (CMC) of different copolymer compositions were prepared by gamma radiation. Factors affecting the gel content (%) and the swelling ratio (g/g) of hydrogel such as irradiation dose as well as copolymer composition were investigated. With increasing the CMC content in PVP/CMC hydrogels, increases the swelling and improves the water retention capability. The high swelling ratio was observed at copolymer composition of PVP/CMC (60/40). Fast swelling of the hydrogels was obtained after 20 min. The effect of different fertilizers and buffers of different pH's on equilibrium swelling of hydrogels was investigated. Fertilizers such as urea, monopotassium-phosphate (MPK), and nitrogen-phosphate-potassium (NPK) were loaded onto the hydrogel to supply nitrogen, potassium and phosphorous nutrients. PVP/CMC hydrogels retained 28-36% after 72 h and slow retention was noticed up to 9 days. The swelling of hydrogel in fertilizer solutions is lower than that in water. The hydrogels showed adsorption desorption of fertilizers which governs by slow release property. The release rate of urea is much higher 10 times than that of phosphate. After 3 days, urea released 60%, while phosphate released 10-12%. The applicability of PVP/CMC hydrogels in the agricultural fields shows greater growth effect on zea maize plants. The growth of zea maize plant in soil mixed with PVP/CMC hydrogels loaded fertilizers is greater than untreated soil. The slow release fertilize, the high swelling and the slow water retention behaviors of PVP/CMC hydrogels encourage their use as safer release systems for fertilizers and as soil conditioner in agricultural applications.

  6. Controlled release fertilizers using superabsorbent hydrogel prepared by gamma radiation

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Elbarbary, Ahmed M.; Ghobashy, Mohamed Mohamady [Atomic Energy Authority, Nasr City (Egypt). National Center for Radiation Research and Technology (NCRTT)

    2017-07-01

    Superabsorbent hydrogels (PVP/CMC) based on polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP)/carboxylmethyl cellulose (CMC) of different copolymer compositions were prepared by gamma radiation. Factors affecting the gel content (%) and the swelling ratio (g/g) of hydrogel such as irradiation dose as well as copolymer composition were investigated. With increasing the CMC content in PVP/CMC hydrogels, increases the swelling and improves the water retention capability. The high swelling ratio was observed at copolymer composition of PVP/CMC (60/40). Fast swelling of the hydrogels was obtained after 20 min. The effect of different fertilizers and buffers of different pH's on equilibrium swelling of hydrogels was investigated. Fertilizers such as urea, monopotassium-phosphate (MPK), and nitrogen-phosphate-potassium (NPK) were loaded onto the hydrogel to supply nitrogen, potassium and phosphorous nutrients. PVP/CMC hydrogels retained 28-36% after 72 h and slow retention was noticed up to 9 days. The swelling of hydrogel in fertilizer solutions is lower than that in water. The hydrogels showed adsorption desorption of fertilizers which governs by slow release property. The release rate of urea is much higher 10 times than that of phosphate. After 3 days, urea released 60%, while phosphate released 10-12%. The applicability of PVP/CMC hydrogels in the agricultural fields shows greater growth effect on zea maize plants. The growth of zea maize plant in soil mixed with PVP/CMC hydrogels loaded fertilizers is greater than untreated soil. The slow release fertilize, the high swelling and the slow water retention behaviors of PVP/CMC hydrogels encourage their use as safer release systems for fertilizers and as soil conditioner in agricultural applications.

  7. Preparation and characterization of gum karaya hydrogel nanocomposite flocculant for metal ions removal from mine effluents

    CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

    Fosso-Kankeu, E

    2016-02-01

    Full Text Available This research paper reports the removal of heavy metal ions from mine effluents using the gum karaya (GK)-grafted poly(acrylamide-co-acrylic acid) incorporated iron oxide magnetic nanoparticles (Fe3O4 MNPs) hydrogel nanocomposite [i.e., GK...

  8. Classification, processing and application of hydrogels: A review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ullah, Faheem; Othman, Muhammad Bisyrul Hafi; Javed, Fatima; Ahmad, Zulkifli; Md Akil, Hazizan

    2015-12-01

    This article aims to review the literature concerning the choice of selectivity for hydrogels based on classification, application and processing. Super porous hydrogels (SPHs) and superabsorbent polymers (SAPs) represent an innovative category of recent generation highlighted as an ideal mould system for the study of solution-dependent phenomena. Hydrogels, also termed as smart and/or hungry networks, are currently subject of considerable scientific research due to their potential in hi-tech applications in the biomedical, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, bioseparation, biosensor, agriculture, oil recovery and cosmetics fields. Smart hydrogels display a significant physiochemical change in response to small changes in the surroundings. However, such changes are reversible; therefore, the hydrogels are capable of returning to its initial state after a reaction as soon as the trigger is removed. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  9. Polysaccharides as Hydrogel and Bioplastics. Chapter 4

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kamaruddin Hashim; Sarada Idris; Norzita Yacob; Maznah Mahmud

    2017-01-01

    The use of radiation technology in producing hydrogel is increasingly popular nowadays. The hydrogel which produce through the radiation method has it own advantages. For example, easy to operate, reduce the cost production and also decrease the harmful chemical usage such as monomer. The cross-linking bonds which has been produced this hydrogel during the irradiation process can be controlled by the radiation dosage even though using the same material and composition.

  10. Drug delivery system of basic fibroblast growth factor using gelatin hydrogel for restoration of acute vocal fold scar.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kobayashi, Toshiki; Mizuta, Masanobu; Hiwatashi, Nao; Kishimoto, Yo; Nakamura, Tatsuo; Kanemaru, Shin-Ichi; Hirano, Shigeru

    2017-02-01

    There continue to be therapeutic challenges in the management of vocal fold scarring. We previously showed that basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) injection has therapeutic potential for vocal fold scarring. However, the working time of bFGF is relatively short, and multiple injections were required in many cases to obtain the regenerative effect. An efficacious delivery system for bFGF has yet to be established. We designed a method of sustained drug delivery system (DDS) of bFGF by using a gelatin hydrogel. Hydrogel has been developed for targeted delivery and controlled release of bFGF. Hydrogel of the particle type is also injectable and commercially available. The current study aims to investigate the effects of a single injection of bFGF-DDS on acute vocal fold scarring using a canine model. Vocal folds from eight beagles were unilaterally scarred by stripping the lamina propria. One month later, hydrogels (0.5ml) containing 10μg of bFGF were injected into the scarred vocal folds of four beagles (FGF-hydrogel group). Saline (0.5ml) was injected into the other four beagles (sham group). Vibratory and histological examination of excised larynges was performed 5 months after treatment. Comparative analysis between the current data and our previous data with repeated injection of bFGF solution was also completed. Vibratory examination demonstrated significantly improved vibration in the bFGF hydrogel-treated group. Histological examination of the bFGF hydrogel group showed restoration of hyaluronic acid in the lamina propria as compared to sham. Comparison between the DDS system and our previous bFGF solution injection indicated better effects of the DDS system on vibratory amplitude. A single injection of bFGF hydrogel has regenerative effects on acute vocal fold scarring, which is at least similar to repeated injection of bFGF solution. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Preparation, optimization and property of PVA-HA/PAA composite hydrogel.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Kai; Liu, Jinlong; Yang, Xuehui; Zhang, Dekun

    2017-09-01

    PVA-HA/PAA composite hydrogel is prepared by freezing-thawing, PEG dehydration and annealing method. Orthogonal design method is used to choose the optimization combination. Results showed that HA and PVA have the maximum effect on water content. PVA and freezing-thawing cycles have the maximum effect on creep resistance and stress relaxation rate of hydrogel. Annealing temperature and freezing-thawing cycles have the maximum effect on compressive elastic modulus of hydrogel. Comparing with the water content and mechanical properties of 16 kinds of combination, PVA-HA/PAA composite hydrogel with freezing-thawing cycles of 3, annealing temperature of 120°C, PVA of 16%, HA of 2%, PAA of 4% has the optimization comprehensive properties. PVA-HA/PAA composite hydrogel has a porous network structure. There are some interactions between PVA, HA and PAA in hydrogel and the properties of hydrogel are strengthened. The annealing treatment improves the crystalline and crosslinking of hydrogel. Therefore, the annealing PVA-HA/PAA composite hydrogel has good thermostability, strength and mechanical properties. It also has good lubrication property and its friction coefficient is relative low. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  12. Bioprinting Cellularized Constructs Using a Tissue-specific Hydrogel Bioink

    Science.gov (United States)

    Skardal, Aleksander; Devarasetty, Mahesh; Kang, Hyun-Wook; Seol, Young-Joon; Forsythe, Steven D.; Bishop, Colin; Shupe, Thomas; Soker, Shay; Atala, Anthony

    2016-01-01

    Bioprinting has emerged as a versatile biofabrication approach for creating tissue engineered organ constructs. These constructs have potential use as organ replacements for implantation in patients, and also, when created on a smaller size scale as model "organoids" that can be used in in vitro systems for drug and toxicology screening. Despite development of a wide variety of bioprinting devices, application of bioprinting technology can be limited by the availability of materials that both expedite bioprinting procedures and support cell viability and function by providing tissue-specific cues. Here we describe a versatile hyaluronic acid (HA) and gelatin-based hydrogel system comprised of a multi-crosslinker, 2-stage crosslinking protocol, which can provide tissue specific biochemical signals and mimic the mechanical properties of in vivo tissues. Biochemical factors are provided by incorporating tissue-derived extracellular matrix materials, which include potent growth factors. Tissue mechanical properties are controlled combinations of PEG-based crosslinkers with varying molecular weights, geometries (linear or multi-arm), and functional groups to yield extrudable bioinks and final construct shear stiffness values over a wide range (100 Pa to 20 kPa). Using these parameters, hydrogel bioinks were used to bioprint primary liver spheroids in a liver-specific bioink to create in vitro liver constructs with high cell viability and measurable functional albumin and urea output. This methodology provides a general framework that can be adapted for future customization of hydrogels for biofabrication of a wide range of tissue construct types. PMID:27166839

  13. Bioprinting Cellularized Constructs Using a Tissue-specific Hydrogel Bioink.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Skardal, Aleksander; Devarasetty, Mahesh; Kang, Hyun-Wook; Seol, Young-Joon; Forsythe, Steven D; Bishop, Colin; Shupe, Thomas; Soker, Shay; Atala, Anthony

    2016-04-21

    Bioprinting has emerged as a versatile biofabrication approach for creating tissue engineered organ constructs. These constructs have potential use as organ replacements for implantation in patients, and also, when created on a smaller size scale as model "organoids" that can be used in in vitro systems for drug and toxicology screening. Despite development of a wide variety of bioprinting devices, application of bioprinting technology can be limited by the availability of materials that both expedite bioprinting procedures and support cell viability and function by providing tissue-specific cues. Here we describe a versatile hyaluronic acid (HA) and gelatin-based hydrogel system comprised of a multi-crosslinker, 2-stage crosslinking protocol, which can provide tissue specific biochemical signals and mimic the mechanical properties of in vivo tissues. Biochemical factors are provided by incorporating tissue-derived extracellular matrix materials, which include potent growth factors. Tissue mechanical properties are controlled combinations of PEG-based crosslinkers with varying molecular weights, geometries (linear or multi-arm), and functional groups to yield extrudable bioinks and final construct shear stiffness values over a wide range (100 Pa to 20 kPa). Using these parameters, hydrogel bioinks were used to bioprint primary liver spheroids in a liver-specific bioink to create in vitro liver constructs with high cell viability and measurable functional albumin and urea output. This methodology provides a general framework that can be adapted for future customization of hydrogels for biofabrication of a wide range of tissue construct types.

  14. β-Cyclodextrin hydrogels for the ocular release of antibacterial thiosemicarbazones.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Glisoni, Romina J; García-Fernández, María J; Pino, Marylú; Gutkind, Gabriel; Moglioni, Albertina G; Alvarez-Lorenzo, Carmen; Concheiro, Angel; Sosnik, Alejandro

    2013-04-02

    Two types of hydrophilic networks with conjugated beta-cyclodextrin (β-CD) were developed with the aim of engineering useful platforms for the localized release of an antimicrobial 5,6-dimethoxy-1-indanone N4-allyl thiosemicarbazone (TSC) in the eye and its potential application in ophthalmic diseases. Poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) soft contact lenses (SCLs) displaying β-CD, namely pHEMA-co-β-CD, and super-hydrophilic hydrogels (SHHs) of directly cross-linked hydroxypropyl-β-CD were synthesized and characterized regarding their structure (ATR/FT-IR), drug loading capacity, swelling and in vitro release in artificial lacrimal fluid. Incorporation of TSC to the networks was carried out both during polymerization (DP method) and after synthesis (PP method). The first method led to similar drug loads in all the hydrogels, with minor drug loss during the washing steps to remove unreacted monomers, while the second method evidenced the influence of structural parameters on the loading efficiency (proportion of CD units, mesh size, swelling degree). Both systems provided a controlled TSC release for at least two weeks, TSC concentrations (up to 4000μg/g dry hydrogel) being within an optimal therapeutic window for the antimicrobial ocular treatment. Microbiological tests against P. aeruginosa and S. aureus confirmed the ability of TSC-loaded pHEMA-co-β-CD network to inhibit bacterial growth. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. A Method for Seawater Desalination via Squeezing Ionic Hydrogels.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yu, Chi; Wang, Yanhong; Lang, Xuemei; Fan, Shuanshi

    2016-12-06

    In this study, mechanical force applied to squeeze poly(sodium acrylate-co-2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) hydrogels that contained seawater in order to obtain fresh water. By incorporating ionic monomer sodium acrylate (SA) into hydrogels, the salt rejection was significantly enhanced from 27.62% to 64.57% (feed concentration 35.00g/L NaCl solution). As SA's concentration continuously increased, salt rejection declined due to the change in hydrogel's matrix structure. Therefore, water recovery raised as the current swelling degree increased. We also measured pore size distribution by applying mercury intrusion porosimetry on each hydrogel sample in the interest of finding out whether the sample SA5/HEMA15 owned multi pore structure, since the result could be good for the desalination performance. After 4 times reused, the hydrogel remained good desalination performance. Although compared to reverse osmosis (RO) and multistage flash distillation (MSF) & multiple effect distillation (MED) the salt rejection of this hydrogel (roughly 64%) seemed low, the hydrogels can be used for forward osmosis and reverse osmosis, as pretreatment of seawater to reduce the energy consumption for the downstream.

  16. Stimuli-responsive hydrogels in drug delivery and tissue engineering.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sood, Nikhil; Bhardwaj, Ankur; Mehta, Shuchi; Mehta, Abhinav

    2016-01-01

    Hydrogels are the three-dimensional network structures obtained from a class of synthetic or natural polymers which can absorb and retain a significant amount of water. Hydrogels are one of the most studied classes of polymer-based controlled drug release. These have attracted considerable attention in biochemical and biomedical fields because of their characteristics, such as swelling in aqueous medium, biocompatibility, pH and temperature sensitivity or sensitivity towards other stimuli, which can be utilized for their controlled zero-order release. The hydrogels are expected to explore new generation of self-regulated delivery system having a wide array of desirable properties. This review highlights the exciting opportunities and challenges in the area of hydrogels. Here, we review different literatures on stimuli-sensitive hydrogels, such as role of temperature, electric potential, pH and ionic strength to control the release of drug from hydrogels.

  17. Sodium Carboxymethyl Cellulose Using Acrylamide and Acrylic Acid and Investigation of Drug Delivery Properties

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mahdi Geramipour

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available Hydrogels are three-dimensional polymer networks that can absorb and retain a huge amount of aqueous fluids even under certain pressure, but do not dissolve in water. They are responsive to environmental stimulants such as pH and ionic strength of the solution. In this study, a series of novel sodium carboxymethyl cellulose-based hydrogel nanocomposites were synthesized using acrylamide comonomer in the presence of iron magnetic as crosslinker and acrylic acid ammonium persulfate (APS comonomer as initiator. All reaction variables affecting the water absorbency of the hydrogel nanocomposite including the concentration of crosslinking agent and initiator, and comonomers ratio were optimized in order to achieve the maximum absorption capacity. The experimental data showed that the hydrogel nanocomposite exhibited improved swelling capacity compared to the nanoparticel-free hydrogel. In addition, optimized hydrogel nanocomposite showed a good water uptake ability and the equilibrium swelling capacity was achieved within the initial 10 min. In examining the quality of the synthesized hydrogel nanocomposite, the amount of absorption in saline solutions of different concentrations was measured. Furthermore, the swelling behavior of hydrogel nanocomposite in solutions with different pH values was evaluated. The chemical structure of the hydrogel nanocomposites was characterized by means of transmission electron microscopy (TEM, scanning electron microscopy (SEM, vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM, thermogravimetry analysis (TGA, derivative thermogravimetry (DTG and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR. In order to study the drug delivery and drug release behavior, the release of sodium diclofenac as a model drug from synthesized hydrogel nanocomposite was examined in two acidic and basic buffer environments. The results indicated that this hydrogel nanocomposite may be an appropriate alternative for drug release processes in human body.

  18. Enzymatic Inverse Opal Hydrogel Particles for Biocatalyst.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Huan; Gu, Hongcheng; Chen, Zhuoyue; Shang, Luoran; Zhao, Ze; Gu, Zhongze; Zhao, Yuanjin

    2017-04-19

    Enzymatic carriers have a demonstrated value for chemical reactions and industrial applications. Here, we present a novel kind of inverse opal hydrogel particles as the enzymatic carriers. The particles were negatively replicated from spherical colloidal crystal templates by using magnetic nanoparticles tagged acrylamide hydrogel. Thus, they were endowed with the features of monodispersity, small volume, complete penetrating structure, and controllable motion, which are all beneficial for improving the efficiency of biocatalysis. In addition, due to the ordered porous nanostructure, the inverse opal hydrogel particles were imparted with unique photonic band gaps (PBGs) and vivid structural colors for encoding varieties of immobilized enzymes and for constructing a multienzymes biocatalysis system. These features of the inverse opal hydrogel particles indicate that they are ideal enzymatic carriers for biocatalysis.

  19. A simple route to synthesize conductive stimuli-responsive polypyrrole nanocomposite hydrogel particles with strong magnetic properties and their performance for removal of hexavalent chromium ions from aqueous solution

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ahmad, Hasan, E-mail: samarhass@yahoo.com [Department of Chemistry, Rajshahi University, Rajshahi 6205 (Bangladesh); Rahman, Mohammad Mostafizar; Ali, Mohammad Azgar [Department of Chemistry, Rajshahi University, Rajshahi 6205 (Bangladesh); Minami, Hideto [Graduate School of Engineering, Kobe University, Kobe 657-8501 (Japan); Tauer, Klaus [Max Planck Institute of Colloid and Interfaces, Am Mühlenberg, 14476 Golm (Germany); Gafur, Mohammad Abdul [Pilot Plant and Process Development Centre, BCSIR, Dhaka 1205 (Bangladesh); Rahman, Mohammad Mahbubor [Department of Chemistry, Rajshahi University, Rajshahi 6205 (Bangladesh)

    2016-08-15

    A combination of maghemite polypyrrole (PPy/γ-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3}) and stimuli-responsive properties in the same hydrogel microspheres is expected to enhance their application potential in various fields such as tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, biosensors, biomedical applications and removal of heavy metals from waste water, catalysis etc. In this investigation a simple two step process is used to prepare conductive stimuli-responsive polypyrrole (PPy) composite hydrogel particles with strong magnetic properties. Poly(styrene-methacrylic acid-N-isopropylacrylamide-polyethelene glycol methacrylate) or P(S-NIPAM-MAA-PEGMA) hydrogel seed particles are first prepared by soap-free precipitation copolymerization. The copolymer hydrogel particles exhibited both temperature- and pH-responsive volume phase transition. Conductive P(S-NIPAM-MAA-PEGMA)/PPy/γ-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} nanocomposite hydrogel particles are then prepared by seeded chemical oxidative polymerization of pyrrole in the presence of P(S-NIPAM-MAA-PEGMA) hydrogel seed particles using FeCl{sub 3} as a oxidant and p-toluene sulfonic acid ( p-TSA) as a dopant. In the reaction system FeCl{sub 3} functioned as a source of Fe(III) for the formation of γ-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3}. This reaction also requires the initial presence of Fe(II) provided by the addition of FeCl{sub 2}. The size and size distribution, surface structure, and morphology of the prepared conductive composite hydrogel particles are confirmed by FTIR, electron micrographs, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and UV–visible spectroscopy. The performance of nanocomposite hydrogel particles has been evaluated for the removal of hexavalent chromium (Cr) ions from water. - Highlights: • P(S-NIPAM-MAA-PEGMA) hydrogel particles were prepared. • P(S-NIPAM-MAA-PEGMA)/PPy/γ-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3} nanocomposite hydrogel particles were prepared. • Oxidative polymerization of pyrrole and precipitation of γ-Fe{sub 2}O{sub 3

  20. Transparent hydrogel with enhanced water retention capacity by introducing highly hydratable salt

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Bai, Yuanyuan; Xiang, Feng; Wang, Hong, E-mail: hwang@mail.xjtu.edu.cn, E-mail: suo@seas.harvard.edu [Electronic Materials Research Laboratory, School of Electronics and Information Engineering, Xi' an Jiaotong University, Xi' an 710049 (China); Chen, Baohong; Zhou, Jinxiong [State Key Laboratory for Strength and Vibration of Mechanical Structures, International Center for Applied Mechanics and School of Aerospace, Xi' an Jiaotong University, Xi' an 710049 (China); Suo, Zhigang, E-mail: hwang@mail.xjtu.edu.cn, E-mail: suo@seas.harvard.edu [School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Kavli Institute of Bionano Science and Technology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138 (United States)

    2014-10-13

    Polyacrylamide hydrogels containing salt as electrolyte have been used as highly stretchable transparent electrodes in flexible electronics, but those hydrogels are easy to dry out due to water evaporation. Targeted, we try to enhance water retention capacity of polyacrylamide hydrogel by introducing highly hydratable salts into the hydrogel. These hydrogels show enhanced water retention capacity in different level. Specially, polyacrylamide hydrogel containing high content of lithium chloride can retain over 70% of its initial water even in environment with relative humidity of only 10% RH. The excellent water retention capacities of these hydrogels will make more applications of hydrogels become possible.