Santos Francisco, Marto-Costa Carolina, Branco Ana Catarina, Oliveira Andreia Sofia, Galhano Dos Santos Rui, Salema-Oom Madalena, Diaz Roberto Leonardo, Williams Sophie, Colaço Rogério, Figueiredo-Pina Célio, Serro Ana Paula
Centro de Química Estrutural (CQE), Institute of Molecular Sciences, Department of Chemical Engineering, Instituto Superior Técnico, University of Lisbon, Av. Rovisco Pais 1, 1049-001 Lisbon, Portugal.
Egas Moniz Center for Interdisciplinary Research (CiiEM), Egas Moniz School of Health & Science, Monte da Caparica, 2829-511 Almada, Portugal.
Gels. 2024 Aug 3;10(8):514. doi: 10.3390/gels10080514.
Due to the increasing prevalence of articular cartilage diseases and limitations faced by current therapeutic methodologies, there is an unmet need for new materials to replace damaged cartilage. In this work, poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) hydrogels were reinforced with different amounts of Nomex (known for its high mechanical toughness, flexibility, and resilience) and sterilized by gamma irradiation. Samples were studied concerning morphology, chemical structure, thermal behavior, water content, wettability, mechanical properties, and rheological and tribological behavior. Overall, it was found that the incorporation of aramid nanostructures improved the hydrogel's mechanical performance, likely due to the reinforcement's intrinsic strength and hydrogen bonding to PVA chains. Additionally, the sterilization of the materials also led to superior mechanical properties, possibly related to the increased crosslinking density through the hydrogen bonding caused by the irradiation. The water content, wettability, and tribological performance of PVA hydrogels were not compromised by either the reinforcement or the sterilization process. The best-performing composite, containing 1.5% wt. of Nomex, did not induce cytotoxicity in human chondrocytes. Plugs of this hydrogel were inserted in porcine femoral heads and tested in an anatomical hip simulator. No significant changes were observed in the hydrogel or cartilage, demonstrating the material's potential to be used in cartilage replacement.
由于关节软骨疾病的患病率不断上升以及当前治疗方法面临的局限性，对于用于替代受损软骨的新材料存在未满足的需求。在这项工作中，用不同量的诺梅克斯（以其高机械韧性、柔韧性和弹性而闻名）增强聚乙烯醇（PVA）水凝胶，并通过伽马射线辐照进行灭菌。对样品的形态、化学结构、热行为、含水量、润湿性、机械性能以及流变学和摩擦学行为进行了研究。总体而言，发现芳纶纳米结构的加入改善了水凝胶的机械性能，这可能是由于增强材料的固有强度以及与PVA链的氢键作用。此外，材料的灭菌还导致了优异的机械性能，这可能与辐照引起的氢键导致交联密度增加有关。PVA水凝胶的含水量、润湿性和摩擦学性能均未因增强或灭菌过程而受到影响。性能最佳的复合材料含有1.5%重量的诺梅克斯，在人软骨细胞中未诱导细胞毒性。将这种水凝胶塞插入猪股骨头并在解剖髋关节模拟器中进行测试。水凝胶或软骨中未观察到明显变化，证明了该材料在软骨替代方面的应用潜力。
