Hydroxypropyl cellulose enhanced ionic conductive double-network hydrogels.

Ionic conductive hydrogels with both high-performance in conductivity and mechanical properties have received increasing attention due to their unique potential in artificial soft electronics. Here, a dual physically cross-linked double network (DN) hydrogel with high ionic conductivity and tensile strength was fabricated by a facile approach. Hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC) biopolymer fibers were embedded in a poly (vinyl alcohol)­sodium alginate (PVA/SA) hydrogel, and then the prestretched PVA-HPC/SA composite hydrogel was immersed in a CaCl2 solution to prepare PVA-HPCT/SA-Ca DN hydrogels. The obtained composite hydrogel has an excellent tensile strength up to 1.4 MPa. Importantly, the synergistic effect of hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC) and prestretching reduces the migration resistance of ions in the hydrogel, and the conductivity reaches 3.49 S/ m. In addition, these composite hydrogels are noncytotoxic, and they have a low friction coefficient and an excellent wear resistance. Therefore, PVA-HPCT/SA-Ca DN hydrogels have potential applications in nerve replacement materials and biosensors.

Nano-hydroxyapatite enhanced double network hydrogels with excellent mechanical properties for potential application in cartilage repair.

Hydrogels with desirable characteristics have been supposed to be potential materials for cartilage repair. However, the biomechanical, biotribological and biocompatible properties of hydrogels remain some crucial challenges. To address these challenges, we developed a dual physically cross-linked poly (vinyl alcohol)-(nano hydroxyapatite)/(2-hydroxypropyltrimethyl ammonium chloride chitosan) (PVA-HA/HACC-Cit) hydrogels with double-network (DN) through a simply freezing/thawing technique and an immersing process. The DN hydrogel with an optimized HA concentration exhibited outstanding fracture tensile stress (2.70 ± 0.24 MPa), toughness (14.09 ± 2.06 MJ/m3) and compressive modulus (0.88 ± 0.09 MPa). In addition, the PVA-HA/HACC-Cit DN hydrogels demonstrated remarkable anti-fatigue property, extraordinary self-recovery and energy dissipation ability due to their unique dual physically cross-linked structures. Moreover, the low friction coefficient, the predominant wear resistance property, as well as the excellent cytocompatibility were realized for the DN hydrogels because of the existence of nano-hydroxyapatite. Thus, this work puts forward a new strategy in the preparation of DN hydrogels for promising applications in cartilage repair.

Sulfated chitosan coated polylactide membrane enhanced osteogenic and vascularization differentiation in MC3T3-E1s and HUVECs co-cultures system.

This study aimed to compare the effects of the two type chitosan derivatives, sulfated chitosan (SCS) and phosphorylated chitosan (PCS), coated on poly(d,l-lactide) (PDLLA) membrane via polydopamine, respectively, on vascularization and osteogenesis in vitro. Mouse preosteoblast cells (MC3T3-E1s) and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were used as co-cultures system. The effects of two type membranes on calcium deposition, alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, vascularization related factors nitric oxide (NO) and angiogenic growth factor vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) were assessed. The changes of osteogenic and angiogenic related gene, and protein expression were evaluated too. In fact, SCS modified PDLLA membrane had the highest related gene and protein expression than other PDLLA membranes. Our results demonstrated that the SCS maybe a promising matrix for bone regeneration by co-cultures of ECs and OCs than PCS.

Chitosan derivative-based double network hydrogels with high strength, high fracture toughness and tunable mechanics.

Physically cross-linked double-network (DN) hydrogels are capturing more and more attention due to their good mechanical properties and self-recovery ability. However, they usually suffer from complicated preparation process and fussy performance regulation, which severely limit their applications in many fields. Herein, we fabricated a physically cross-linked poly(vinyl alcohol)-(2-hydroxypropyltrimethyl ammonium chloride chitosan) (PVA-HACC) DN hydrogels without organic solvents or toxic cross-linking agents via a simple two-step method of freezing/thawing and immersion processing. The effects of immersion time and concentration of Na3Cit solution on the structures and mechanical properties of the hydrogels were investigated. The obtained hydrogels exhibited excellent mechanical properties including high elastic modulus (1.44 MPa), high strength (a maximal tensile fracture stresses of 4.14 MPa and a maximal compressive stresses of over 70 MPa at 98% strain), and superior fracture toughness (17.09 MJ/m3). In addition, good self-recovered property and anti-fatigue performance were realized for the hydrogels owing to the reversible HACC ionic networks. The preparation of PVA-HACC DN hydrogels offers a new guidance for the design and synthesis of environmentally friendly DN hydrogels with outstanding mechanical properties and broad application prospects.

Preparation and characterization of porous hydroxyapatite/ß-cyclodextrin-based polyurethane composite scaffolds for bone tissue engineering.

In this study, novel porous scaffolds containing hydroxyapatite and ß-cyclodextrin-based polyurethane were first successfully fabricated by polymerizing ß-cyclodextrin with hexamethylene diisocyanate and hydroxyapatite in situ for bone tissue engineering. The physicochemical and mechanical properties as well as cytocompatibility of porous scaffolds were investigated. The results showed that polyurethane reinforced with hydroxyapatite composites had cancellous bone-like porous structure. The mechanical strength of the scaffolds increased with increasing the hydroxyapatite content in scaffolds. Synthesized scaffolds (PU1, PUHA1, PU2, and PUHA2) presented compressive strength values of 0.87 ± 0.24 MPa, 1.81 ± 0.10 MPa, 6.16 ± 0.89 MPa, and 12.95 ± 2.05 MPa, respectively. The pore size and porosity of these scaffolds were suitable for bone regeneration. Cytocompatibility of composite scaffolds was proven via favorable interactions with MC3T3-E1 cells. The addition of hydroxyapatite into CD-based polyurethane scaffolds improved cell attachment, well-spread morphology, and higher proliferation. The hydroxyapatite-polyurethane scaffolds have the potential to be applied in bone repair and regeneration.