McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering, The University of Texas, Austin, Texas, USA.
Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Texas, Austin, Texas, USA.
J Biomed Mater Res A. 2024 Aug;112(8):1200-1212. doi: 10.1002/jbm.a.37609. Epub 2023 Sep 15.
Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG)-based hydrogels have gained significant attention in the field of biomedical applications due to their versatility and antifouling properties. Acrylate-derivatized PEG hydrogels (PEGDA) are some of the most widely studied hydrogels; however, there has been debate around the degradation mechanism and predicting resorption rates. Several factors influence the degradation rate of PEG hydrogels, including backbone and endgroup chemistry, macromer molecular weight, and polymer concentration. In addition to hydrogel parameters, it is necessary to understand the influence of biological and environmental conditions (e.g., pH and temperature) on hydrogel degradation. Rigorous methods for monitoring degradation in both in vitro and in vivo settings are also critical to hydrogel design and development. Herein, we provide guidance on tailoring PEG hydrogel chemistry to achieve target hydrolytic degradation kinetics for both resorbable and biostable applications. A detailed overview of accelerated testing methods and hydrogel degradation characterization is provided to aid researchers in experimental design and interpreting in vitro-in vivo correlations necessary for predicting hydrogel device performance.
聚乙二醇（PEG）基水凝胶因其多功能性和抗污性而在生物医学应用领域引起了广泛关注。丙烯酸酯衍生的 PEG 水凝胶（PEGDA）是研究最多的水凝胶之一；然而，关于其降解机制和预测吸收率仍存在争议。几个因素会影响 PEG 水凝胶的降解速率，包括骨架和端基化学、大分子单体分子量和聚合物浓度。除了水凝胶参数外，还需要了解生物和环境条件（例如 pH 值和温度）对水凝胶降解的影响。严格的体外和体内监测降解的方法对于水凝胶的设计和开发也至关重要。本文提供了针对目标水解降解动力学来定制 PEG 水凝胶化学的指导，既适用于可吸收应用，也适用于生物稳定应用。本文详细介绍了加速测试方法和水凝胶降解特性，以帮助研究人员进行实验设计，并解释体外-体内相关性，这对于预测水凝胶器件性能是必要的。
