Baidya Avijit, Budiman Annabella, Jain Saumya, Oz Yavuz, Annabi Nasim
Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, United States.
Department of Bioengineering, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California 90095, United States.
Adv Nanobiomed Res. 2024 Sep;4(9). doi: 10.1002/anbr.202300173. Epub 2024 May 21.
Hydrogels have been extensively used for tissue engineering applications due to their versatility in structure and physical properties, which can mimic native tissues. Although significant progress has been made towards designing hydrogels for soft tissue repair, engineering hydrogels that resemble load-bearing tissues is still considered a great challenge due to their specific mechano-physical demands. Here, we report microporous, tough, yet highly compressible poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)-based hydrogels for potential applications in repairing or replacing different load-bearing tissues. The synergy of freeze-thawing and the Hofmeister effect, which controlled the spatial arrangement and aggregation of polymer chains, facilitated the formation of micro-structured frameworks with tunable porosity. While the maximum mechanical strength, toughness, and stretchability of the engineered hydrogel were ~390 kPa, ~388 kJ/m3, and ~170%, respectively, the Young's modulus based on compression testing was found to be in the range of ~0.02 - 0.30 MPa, highlighting the all-in-one mechanically enriched nature of the hydrogel system. Furthermore, the minimal swelling and degradation rate of the engineered hydrogel met the specific requirements of load-bearing tissues. Finally, excellent antibacterial resistance as well as in vitro biocompatibility of the hydrogel demonstrated its potential for the replacement of load-bearing tissues.
水凝胶因其结构和物理性质的多样性而被广泛应用于组织工程领域，这种多样性使其能够模拟天然组织。尽管在设计用于软组织修复的水凝胶方面已经取得了重大进展，但由于其特定的机械物理要求，设计类似于承重组织的工程水凝胶仍然被认为是一项巨大的挑战。在此，我们报道了一种基于微孔、坚韧且高度可压缩的聚乙烯醇（PVA）的水凝胶，其在修复或替代不同承重组织方面具有潜在应用价值。冻融作用与霍夫迈斯特效应的协同作用控制了聚合物链的空间排列和聚集，促进了具有可调孔隙率的微结构框架的形成。虽然工程水凝胶的最大机械强度、韧性和拉伸率分别约为390 kPa、388 kJ/m³和170%，但基于压缩测试的杨氏模量在约0.02 - 0.30 MPa范围内，突出了水凝胶系统一体化的机械富集特性。此外，工程水凝胶的最小溶胀率和降解率满足了承重组织的特定要求。最后，水凝胶出色的抗菌性以及体外生物相容性证明了其在替代承重组织方面的潜力。
