Wheeler J C, Woods J A, Cox M J, Cantrell R W, Watkins F H, Edlich R F
Department of Plastic Surgery, University of Virginia School of Medicine, Charlottesville, USA.
J Long Term Eff Med Implants. 1996;6(3-4):207-17.
Hydrogel polymers are hydrophilic resins that display excellent biocompatibility, which has allowed their application in diverse fields of surgery and medicine. The original hydrogel polymer, a copolymer of 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate and ethylene dimethacrylate, was developed by Wichterle and Lim in 1954. The development of the first soft hydrogel contact lenses by Wichterle in 1961 represented the first successful clinical application of hydrogel polymers and remains one of the most important uses of hydrogels today. The biocompatibility of hydrogel polymers may be adapted to diverse tissue types by small variations in the makeup of the polymer, including varying the type and amount of monomers and differing the amounts and characteristics of the cross-linking agents used to create the polymer chains. Hydrogels have been successfully developed for use as coatings, soft contact lenses, wound dressings, and drug delivery systems.
水凝胶聚合物是具有出色生物相容性的亲水性树脂，这使其能够应用于外科手术和医学的各个领域。最初的水凝胶聚合物是甲基丙烯酸2-羟乙酯和二甲基丙烯酸乙二酯的共聚物，由维希特勒和林于1954年研制。1961年维希特勒研制出首批软性水凝胶隐形眼镜，这代表了水凝胶聚合物首次成功的临床应用，至今仍是水凝胶最重要的用途之一。通过聚合物组成的微小变化，包括改变单体的类型和数量以及用于形成聚合物链的交联剂的数量和特性，水凝胶聚合物的生物相容性可适用于不同的组织类型。水凝胶已成功开发用作涂层、软性隐形眼镜、伤口敷料和药物递送系统。
